UP letter to shippers

Here is what Union Pacific put out today No word yet on how long the embargo will last.

To our Customers:

As you are probably aware from numerous news reports, the past few weeks have seen the Midwest part of the country hit hard by severe weather and record floods. Unfortunately, this series of storms has caused significant damage to our rail network, which has made it necessary to issue embargoes for traffic moving across certain parts of our east-west main line across Iowa.

Network Conditions

Rainfall in parts of Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri, Wisconsin and Kansas has reached the 8 to 10-inch range, resulting in stream and river flooding that has washed out or weakened bridges and large sections of main line track. At this time, the most significant impact of the flooding on the Union Pacific system is in the state of Iowa where 54 of the 99 counties have been declared disaster areas. The National Weather Service continues to have much of the Midwest under flood warning.

Numerous UP subdivisions and corridors continue to be intermittently out of service due to flooding and track washouts, with some impacts being longer lasting. The immediate effects of these storms include the following subdivisions:

Boone Subdivision
One main line track is out of service near Haley, Iowa.

Clinton Subdivision
Two main line tracks are out near Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Cedar River flows under a UP bridge on this subdivision and operations personnel are monitoring this bridge closely for a possible washout.
Two main lines are out of service near Tama, Iowa. This area has been damaged and repaired several times with additional repairs currently underway.

Trenton Subdivision - Our main line track is out of service between Des Moines and Kansas City. Officials ordered the drainage of Saylorville Lake near Des Moines to relieve pressure on the lake, which raised the level of the Des Moines River, taking out Union Pacific track in the area for as long as a week.

Union Pacific operations personnel are closely monitoring other areas throughout the Midwest for possible flooding.

Embargo Issued

Due to the widespread nature of the flooding, we have only limited reroute capability. As a result, Union Pacific is issuing embargoes. Because of the large number of impacted stations, please refer to the published embargo notices for the specific parameters. Generally, these impact all manifest and automotive traffic originating at points west of Beverly, Iowa (which is located west of Cedar Rapids) and moving to points east of Beverly - including traffic interchanged over the Chicago gateway. The embargo also applies to traffic moving in the opposite direction from points east of Beverly - including traffic interchanged over the Chicago gateway - destined for points west of Beverly. The embargo excludes coal, but includes other bulk commodities. A similar embargo on intermodal traffic has also been published.

Based on current conditions, the embargoes are anticipated to be in place for as long as a week, however, weather conditions will ultimately determine when an embargo can be lifted.

Permit Application Process

Union Pacific has established a permit application process to offer limited operations, where possible, for shipments within the embargo area. All permit applications submitted by Noon CDT Monday - Friday will be reviewed and a response will be provided to customers by 3:00 p.m. CDT. If a permit is granted, customers will be able to waybill a shipment immediately with their permit number on the waybill. Applications received after noon will be reviewed and responded to by 3:00 p.m. the following day.

Please review the Guidelines for Embargo Permits (PDF File) for additional information on how to waybill shipments after a permit number is granted.

Automotive/Intermodal Customer Permit Process

To obtain a permit to move traffic impacted by the embargo, customers should call 1-800-243-0879 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. CDT Monday - Friday.

All Other Shipments (excluding Coal) Permit Process

To obtain a permit to move traffic impacted by the embargo, customers should complete the permit application and submit electronically via the web site. Call 1-866-214-3615 with questions regarding the manifest permitting process.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we work through the impact of these storms. We will continue to post updates on changing conditions on our Web site.