Union Pacific Double Track?

Question

For many years I have heard that the Union Pacific might Double Track the Blair line from Mo valley to Fremont. Will this happen?

Answer 1

no

Answer 2

Key words: "many years."

Two things are at play:

What is the volume of traffic, and, what is the primary source of traffic (inter-modal, unit trains, mixed freight or drags, etc.)? Since the improvements haven't been made for some many years, I wouldn't bet on the venture.

Still, the UP has a strange way of doing things. Did you know that gravity isn't the same as everywhere else in the UP headquarters in Omaha? That's why they are taking chances running trains that are too heavy and too long elsewhere.

Apparently, in Omaha, as well as on the paper in Omaha, the immutable laws of physics are not consistent with the rest of the universe.

Answer 3

About "it doesn't make sense": Why? Why should railways apply car-traffic rules? Where I live (Austria/Central Europe) the "main direction" varies from line to line for historic reasons. On some railway lines the "normal" side is right, on others it's left. This is also considered in the layout of sidings and stations, so it won't change very soon :-) But all of the double-track lines are signalled equally in both directions, so trains can (and do) use both (e.g. for overtaking or for capacity-improvement).

Answer 4

While I don't have any information to say one way or the other I wouldn't be surprised due to the boom in traffic levels over the past few years (across the entire industry), which is forecast to continue through the foreseeable future.