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UPS prepares for peak season, adjusts to rail congestion
There used to be unlimited rail capacity between Chicago and the Twin Cities with 2 double track main lines and several others and now UPS has to truck it. Boy … the mind boggles.
The CB&Q line is not completely double tracked thou.
The MILW tore out their perfectly good 2nd main track back in the 80’s. Sure could use it now.
that’s it. i don’t care if CP disregards my note, I am going to write to them about reinstating a TOFC Dedicated train for UPS for the sole purpose of aleviating traffic off the highways and thus, eliminating emissions.
You would think Hunter Harrison would go after all the traffic he could get unless the now single track main is at capacity.
Good luck with that UPS. Just look at all the parked trains between Cleveland and Chicago on NS on a daily basis. No crews, capacity maxxed out, etc.
I notice they single out Chicago-Seattle as an example although I am sure other corridors have issues too. The worst issues seam to be where the oil traffic is booming and this would include Chicago-St Paul and Chicago-Cleveland. There are no completely double-track routes between Chicago and St. Paul. BNSF is mostly double track, but single track most of the way from Savannah to Aurora. Perhaps the worst of the congestion could be avoided by using UP from Seattle to Chicago and CSX east of Chicago. Trucking between St Paul and Chicago, and maybe between Chicago and Cleveland may help too.
Actually, to set the record straight, only the Milwaukee Road had the double tracked route between Chicago and the Twin Cities (absent the choke points of the single track tunnel at Tunnel City and bridges over the Mississippi at LaCrosse and Hastings). Plus the Milw. had a variety of secondary mains to use. The CNW, Burlington, Soo, Rock Is., CGW were all or mostly single track. And it was the Soo (read CP) that single-tracked the Milwaukee; almost the first thing done after takeover, a fact that has come back to haunt current operations.
UPS is trucking 4 days a week (mon-thur) since August. 50or so loads a day. Iknow, I’m a driver and I’m one of them doing it… Hodgkins-Minneapolis and back.
God luck UPS. Hope all this works.