Union Pacific to invest $383 million this year in Texas rail projects

Union Pacific plans to make a $383 million investment in Texas' transportation infrastructure this year, the company said on Friday.

"We constantly evaluate our customers' needs to make targeted investments that enhance our efficiency and deliver the goods American businesses and families use daily," Brenda Mainwaring, Union Pacific's vice president for public affairs-Southern Region, said. "Continuing to aggressively invest in our infrastructure is an important element in Union Pacific's unwavering safety commitment."

The funding will be used to upgrade safety for employees, communities and customers, as well as increase rail-operating efficiency.

Union Pacific operates freight railroads, which run on tracks that are built and maintained without taxpayer funding. Private investments in the company are used to maintain jobs and ensure the company's ability to meet demand for its services.

The planned investments will be $289 million for railroad track maintenance, $18 million to upgrade signal systems and $75 million to maintain or replace bridges throughout Texas.

Specific projects will include
- $14 million for repairs/revamps to a rail line southwest of Dalhart
- $11 million for repairs/revamps to the rail line near Sierra Blanca
- $12 million for repairs/revamps to the rail line between Waco and Hearne

These projects in Texas are part of an ongoing investment strategy. From 2010 to 2014, Union Pacific invested more than $2.7 billion in Texas' transportation infrastructure.