UP

(Photograph Courtesy of Norfolk Southern)

Rail Traffic Uptick for Week 33

For the week ending Aug. 20, 2022, U.S. rail traffic was up 0.1% over the same week last year; total carloads came in 2.9% higher while intermodal volume continued its downward trend, dipping 2.4%, according to the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) Aug. 24 report.

Left Image — From left, Jeff Maxfield’s father, Fred; his grandfather, Wilbur; and his uncle, Danny, in 1954. Right Image — Jeff Maxfield’s grandfather Wilbur Maxfield marks his last trip as a locomotive engineer April 25, 1981. Wilbur waves from the locomotive cab. Family members, from left, Jeff’s aunt, Sherri, holding him; Jeff’s uncles Gary, Tom and Danny; Jeff’s great-grandfather Floyd; and Jeff’s father, Fred. (Caption and Photographs Courtesy of Union Pacific)

For Maxfield Family, 400-Plus Years of Railroad Service

It takes a lot of digging and research to find a time when someone from Jeff Maxfield’s family wasn’t working for the railroad. In fact, the Union Pacific (UP) Manager-Field Operations Support’s family collectively boasts more than 400 years of railroad service throughout five generations.

A handful of Union Pacific's 7,400 locomotives are currently outfitted with the new paint design. (Caption and Photograph Courtesy of UP)

First Look: Fresh Paint Scheme for UP

Union Pacific (UP) on July 25 reported that a “handful” of its locomotives are now sporting a new paint scheme that shifts some design elements, including moving the American flag closer to the front.

Since June, Amtrak has completed accessibility-improvement projects at stations in Ashland, Va. (pictured); Westerly, R.I.; and Homewood, Ill., as part of a multi-year effort to bring its more than 500 stations into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. (Photograph Courtesy of Amtrak)
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Amtrak, CSX, UP Earn Spots on Disability Equality Index

Amtrak, CSX and Union Pacific (UP) have each been recognized as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and nonprofit Disability:IN, achieving high scores on the 2022 Disability Equality Index® (DEI).

(Photograph Courtesy of UP)

UP: Earnings Up Despite ‘Tough’ 2Q22 (UPDATED, Cowen)

“As anticipated, the second quarter was a tough one as we limited carloadings and increased expenses to recover network fluidity,” Union Pacific (UP) Chairman, President and CEO Lance Fritz reported during a July 21 earnings announcement. “We also experienced record high fuel prices and increasing inflation, adding pressure to our total costs. Offsetting the cost pressures were higher fuel surcharge revenue, solid core pricing, a positive mix, and continued train-size initiatives. The result was operating revenue and income growth.”

A Cyclyx employee feeds post-use polystyrene onto a conveyer belt to shred and prepare it for the chemical recycling process. (Photograph and Caption Courtesy of UP)
Commentary
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Recycling Innovations Support Shift to a Circular Economy

Throughout my career, I’ve worked closely with industry leaders to develop economical and sustainable supply chain solutions to get their products to market. And while I’ve seen numerous innovations impact our customers’ businesses, few have been as significant as the adoption of hydraulic fracking to extract petroleum, and with it, ethane gas.

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