Category: News

As floodwaters recede and sunny skies prevail, railroad activity in Houston and along the Southeast Texas coast is resuming. Class I railroads have restarted service across most of the network affected by Hurricane Harvey in late August, and Amtrak plans to restart its Sunset Limited by Wednesday.

Harvey halted rail traffic when it hit near Corpus Christi on Aug. 25 and barreled up the coast. The storm dumped a U.S. record 52 inches of rain in some areas, causing an estimated $75 billion in damages.

Railroads sustained flooded yards and washed-out track and bridges, forcing stoppages and delays. Traffic on Union Pacific, BNSF, Kansas City Southern, Amtrak and Houston METRORail was idle the first four or five days after the storm.

But by last Thursday, all but 50 miles of Union Pacific track in Houston had been restored, according to an update on the company’s website. Elsewhere, all BNSF subdivisions affected by the storm had opened, and KCS had most service restored.

In all, 1,750 miles of UP’s track that affect 2,440 route miles were closed because of high water and damage. Harvey knocked out service on the railroad’s Houston-area network north to Hearne, east of Beaumont, south to Brownsville and west to San Antonio.

Two days after the storm, UP began assessing damage and discovered 96 outages in its network along the Gulf Coast. Two days later, 150 outages were reported. Dispatching in Spring was moved to Omaha.

By Sept. 1, UP had half the downed routes back in service.

“Over the last two weeks we’ve worked tirelessly to restore service in the affected areas, where the damage has been significant,” Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer Beth Whited said in an update to customers on the company’s website.

Three of six bridges knocked out have been restored. The remaining bridges under repair have closed 50 miles of track affecting 420 route miles north of Houston, east of Beaumont and south of Angleton. A crane was brought in to repair the bridge over the San Jacinto River on the “Rabbit” line between Humble and Cleveland, TX. The company hasn’t said when the track will be open.

UP crews have been relocated to affected areas and 145 locomotives added to handle a surge in traffic as operations resume. An additional 200 locomotives are expected to be added. Also, all of the 25,508 cars affected by Harvey have been inspected, the company says.

Whited said that in light of pipeline and refinery disruptions, the company is enacting plans to ensure locomotives have fuel.

While much of the network is rolling again, many customer facilities remain closed as UP works through the backlog of trains and car inventories. Whited said full recovery will take time.

“As we inspect areas of track, we learn of additional repairs required,” she said. “Reroutes create crew shortages and disrupt car flows.”

BNSF has restored service on all of its subdivisions impacted by Harvey after multiple washouts and flooding ceased operations. By Sept. 7 trains were moving across the Longview Subdivision and between Beaumont and Silsbee on the Silsbee Subdivision. The primary rail line connecting Beaumont and locations in Louisiana has also reopened.

The company said track and signal work continues in some locations and trains may experience delays during scheduled maintenance windows. Some traffic is being rerouted around areas where service is being restored southwest of Houston.

The storm shut down BNSF traffic in Houston and along the Gulf Coast. By Aug. 31 the company said it had made significant progress restoring rail service. The Houston Subdivision was among the first restored, followed by the Galveston Subdivision from Temple to just south of Alvin.

Kansas City Southern in slowly restoring lines in the area.

Harvey shut down lanes between Kendleton (Houston) and Laredo, resulting in a force majeure being declared for its U.S. and Mexico operations and an embargo for affected areas along the coast.

The Beaumont subdivision was expected to open Sept. 9, and all south and northbound cross-border embargoes for locations of Houston, Corpus Christi, Victoria and Rosenberg to and from Laredo have been lifted. Embargoes remained for traffic between Beaumont and DeQuincy, LA.

On Sept. 3, KCS began resuming cross-border traffic with the reopening of its Rosenberg Subdivision under slow orders. Train speeds were restricted to 10 mph because of saturated conditions and continued repairs, the company said in a service alert.

Amtrak plans to resume service between Los Angeles and New Orleans via Houston by the Sunset Limited on Wednesday with the departure of the eastbound Train 2 from Los Angeles. Westbound Train 1 will depart Saturday from New Orleans.

Amtrak’s route between San Antonio and New Orleans was affected by the storm.

Also, all light-rail service in Houston was restored by Sept. 5. Limited service started on the Red Line on Aug. 31.

In the wake of unprecedented flooding and damage along the Texas coast, Union Pacific and Kansas City Southern today announced combined pledges of $300,000 toward supporting Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

UP pledged $250,000 to be come from corporate and employee donations. Immediate donations of $100,000 to the American Red Cross and $50,000 to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund are being made. Additionally, Union Pacific will match contributions to its “Friend to Friend” employee support network through Sept. 30, dollar for dollar, up to $100,000.

The company, whose Southern Region division is headquartered in Houston, will also match donations made to a Disaster Relief Matching Gifts Program for Hurricane Harvey, where employees can provide funding directly to American Red Cross, Salvation Army and others.

KCS announced its charitable fund will immediately donate $50,000 to the American Red Cross. In addition, the Kansas City-based railroad will match dollar for dollar employee gifts to the American Red Cross via the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation-KCS Fund up to $25,000.

Houston, Texas and the Gulf region are central to the KCS rail network with many employees and customers located there.

SERVICE REMAINS DISRUPTED ALONG COASTAL RAIL NETWORK
Rail and other traffic remained at a standstill as the region dealt with record flooding. According to The Weather Channel, parts of Houston have reported receiving up to 51 inches of rainfall − a preliminary all-time record in the continental U.S. − and more is expected as the storm, downgraded to Tropical Storm Harvey, reforms over the Gulf of Mexico. About 50 inches of rain is expected by Friday.

On Monday, UP suspended rail operations along the Texas Gulf Coast from Brownsville through Corpus Christi to Houston and east to Lake Charles, LA. No trains are operating through flooded and storm-damaged areas.

Embargoes for all rail traffic destined to Gulf Coast locations and others within UP’s Houston service unit were placed. UP recommends customers consider diverting cars destined to the impacted area where feasible.

UP is conducting track inspections, where possible, in anticipation of resuming operations.

BNSF is using drones to survey damage, a company spokesman said. Train movements in the region have been halted.

The storm also has disrupted Amtrak’s Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle. In a service advisory posted Monday, Amtrak said the Sunset Limited (Train 1/421 & 2/422) will originate and terminate in San Antonio instead of New Orleans, with no alternate transportation between New Orleans and San Antonio. Also, the Texas Eagle (Train 21/421 & 22/422) will originate and terminate in Fort Worth instead of San Antonio, with alternate transportation provided between Fort Worth and San Antonio.

Amtrak Thruway Buses in central and southern Texas have been cancelled. Amtrak’sstation in Houston remains closed.

Many major highways remain disrupted by the storm, and both of Houston’s airports are closed and may not open until Thursday or Friday.

GALVESTON MUSEUM AVOIDS DAMAGE
In Galveston, the Galveston Railroad Museum, which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ike in 2008, dodged a bullet. Executive Director Morris Gould said none of the buildings took on water, although it appeared the yard where much of GRM’s rolling stock is on display, had about 10 inches of water.

Before the storm hit Friday, GRM moved its Santa Fe F7A “Warbonnet” locomotives and Amtrak-certified vintage Budd passenger cars to BNSF’s yard in Pearland. BNSF reported over the weekend that the yard was inaccessible because of flooding. No details were provided on the condition of any equipment in the yard.

UPDATED 4:15 p.m. Aug. 28, 2017
By TOM MARSH/Cowcatcher Magazine

HOUSTON — Deteriorating conditions from Tropical Storm Harvey is causing major disruptions on the region’s rail lines three days after one of Texas’ most historic weather events blew ashore.

Widespread flooding in the greater Houston area forced the suspension of all of BNSF’s operations at Houston-area railyards and facilities, including the Pearland Intermodal and Automotive facilities, according to a service advisory posted today. Some locations have received nearly 40 inches of rain and several more inches are expected during the next 48 hours.

BNSF reported multiple washouts and high water on main lines in and around Houston, halting inbound and outbound traffic. Other area rail lines, including those with BNSF trackage rights, have also been forced out of service, the carrier said.

“Portions of major interstate highways in the Houston area remain closed and officials continue to urge residents to stay off local roadways,” the advisory said. “Our 24/7 Command Center remains in frequent communication with local, state and federal emergency personnel to evaluate conditions and determine when operations can safely resume.”

BNSF plans to conduct an aerial assessment today, weather permitting, to determine the extent of damage and flooding. Train flows are not expected to resume “for an extended period” and customers should expect continued delays of shipments scheduled to move through the area, the company said.

Hurricane Harvey roared ashore on the Texas Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm late Friday, bringing 130-mph winds and dumping unprecedented rain totals.

BNSF Railway, Kansas City Southern and Union Pacific began preparing for the storm earlier in the week, according to service advisories. Railroad activity was at a halt by Sunday along the southeast Texas coast. One of the most powerful hurricanes to hit Texas in years, Harvey’s destruction has been widespread, especially in Rockport near Corpus Christi, and in Houston. Rain is expected to deluge the Texas coast into the week.

BNSF shut down operations in Galveston on Thursday, holding trains destined for the island at various locations to the north. BNSF also moved cars, including some from the Galveston Railroad Museum, away from low-lying coastal areas.

The railroad established a 24/7 command center and pre-positioned crews, materials and equipment for quick response to washouts and other storm-related damage.

BNSF officials initially said the company would take steps to maintain operations in the Houston area through the weekend, specifically citing its Pearland intermodal and auto facilities. However, flooding prevented road access to the intermodal hub and operations ceased on Sunday.

KCS suspended operations between Kendleton, TX, southwest of Houston, to Laredo at midnight Thursday. The following day, KCS enacted force majeure and placed an embargo on all northbound and southbound cross-border traffic via Laredo. The embargo encompasses most origin carriers connecting with KCS, including Norfolk Southern, CN, CSX, CP, UP, BNSF and associated short lines with traffic destined to Houston and points south.

Depending on how events play out, KCS may embargo traffic destined for points east of Houston, including Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas, and Lake Charles and Leesville, LA.

UP began moving cars from flood-prone yards Thursday. In addition, the railroad said it would curtail operations from Brownsville to Beaumont and beyond as necessary to protect employees and equipment.

The company annulled all trains for today and Monday, and said embargoes will be issued on all traffic destined to Houston and surrounding areas. Switching operations in the area are shut down until further notice.

On Saturday, Houston METRO suspended all service, including METRORail, until further notice.

Amtrak train No. 2, the eastbound Sunset Limited, was terminated at El Paso on Friday, becoming westbound No. 1 departing El Paso today. Also, Texas Eagle service was suspended between Fort Worth and San Antonio beginning Friday. Amtrak service suspensions will continue until further notice.

Almost two years to the day of its first test to evacuate equipment in case of a hurricane, a BNSF train of important Galveston Railroad Museum rolling stock headed off Galveston Island in this morning’s wee hours.

The museum’s two F7A Santa Fe “Warbonnets” and four Amtrak-ready Budd passenger cars were escorted off the island under BNSF power at 2:15 in preparation for Hurricane Harvey, which is expected to hit the Texas coast tonight. Nos. 315 and 316 and chair cars “Alonzo A. Harder” and “George H. Gould,” diner “City of Galveston” and sleeper “Donald Harper” were towed about 50 miles inland to Pearland south of Houston.

The rest of the museum, which Hurricane Ike severely damaged in 2008, was boarded up and sandbagged, Executive Directory Morris Gould said.

Earlier this week, a tropical Gulf depression became a hurricane bearing down on Corpus Christi. The National Weather Service says Harvey could reach winds of 125 mph and dump 20-30 inches of rain along the Gulf Coast late Friday and early Saturday. It could be the largest hurricane to hit the middle of the Texas coast since 2003.

Today, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott encouraged evacuations in the storm’s path and said he’d requested a presidential disaster declaration to trigger help from the federal government. He said Harvey, which is rated a Category 3 hurricane, will be “a very major disaster.”

Gould got an email yesterday from BNSF asking if GRM wanted to put the evacuation plan in action. He quickly got approval from the museum’s board to remove the equipment.

Museum officials swiftly prepared GRM inside and outside as much as they could. Important files and documents were placed on tables, hopefully high enough to avoid flooding, and the museum was sandbagged.

“It’s come up so quick, and there were some things we just couldn’t do,” said Gould, who believes the museum isn’t in harm’s way like it was nine years ago. “Hopefully we’re only going to get some rain out of it. I don’t think it’s going to be the center point like Ike.

“It’s another good drill for us. We talk about this every year.”

Ike hammered Galveston with 110-mph winds and a 15-foot storm surge that caused extensive flooding and equipment damage at the museum. Parts of GRM were under eight feet of water, and its two Texas Limited F7A locomotives were destroyed. The storm caused $22 billion in damage from Galveston to Houston.

After Ike, GRM and BNSF developed an evacuation plan that includes removing road-worthy rolling stock and annual test runs. In September 2015, BNSF’s first “First Responder Express” moved the F units and four passenger cars off the island in a special train recognizing area police and fire responders. Each car and locomotive is certified to run on Amtrak’s rail network.

Gould said he has fielded numerous calls from concerned fans since the hurricane began heading toward Texas.