Union Pacific says proposed short line border crossing at Eagle Pass isn’t necessary

WASHINGTON — Union Pacific has urged federal regulators to take a closer look at the proposed Green Eagle Railroad, arguing that construction of a 19-mile cross-border line at the Eagle Pass, Texas, gateway is unnecessary and would snarl rail traffic.

Green Eagle aims to build a new 19.12-mile secure cross-border corridor that includes 1.335 miles of double track between UP’s Clark’s Park Yard and a new double-track span over the Rio Grande, followed by a 17.79-mile single-track line to Ferromex’s Rio Escondido Yard in Piedras Negras, Mexico.

Green Eagle has asked the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to exempt its construction and operation from board review. But UP, in a regulatory filing that appeared on the board’s website today, said that Green Eagle should be required to submit a full application.

“GER is proposing to construct a railroad line that is not needed to meet existing or future demand for transportation, would be less efficient and more costly than existing rail services, would harm existing rail services provided by Union Pacific and BNSF, and does not appear to be financially viable,” UP told the board.

UP also said it has no intention of using the Green Eagle Railroad to interchange with Ferromex at the No. 2 rail gateway linking the U.S. and Mexico. UP and trackage rights tenant BNSF operate an average of 19 trains over the existing international railway bridge.

“Existing capacity is sufficient to accommodate current demand for rail transportation, and capacity can be expanded if necessary to meet future demand,” UP told the board. “Union Pacific is actively planning operational improvements and capital investments to support improved fluidity and growth of traffic moving through the Eagle Pass Gateway.”

Later this year, UP and Ferromex aim to shift crew changes from the bridge to Clark’s Park Yard, which will improve security, service, and capacity by reducing the amount of time trains are stopped on the bridge.

UP also has plans to extend a yard lead at Clark’s Park next year, which will allow it to stage cross-border trains. UP also may add a second main track from the yard to the border as early as 2028.

“Union Pacific’s plans to improve its existing route provide an efficient, cost-effective approach to improving fluidity and accommodating growth at Eagle Pass,” UP said.

Green Eagle, UP said, doesn’t have a viable plan for operating its line without having traffic tangle with trains using the existing UP line. UP also contends that Green Eagle does not address how it would handle cross-border trains that average 9,300 feet in length while constructing only 7,050 feet of trackage in the U.S.

“The difference between train length and track length means GER is not planning to construct sufficient facilities to receive southbound trains in interchange from Union Pacific or BNSF: the rear end of a 9,300-foot train would block Union Pacific’s main line all the way past the switch between the main line and the lead track at the south end of Clark’s Park Yard,” UP said.

UP also said that Green Eagle’s plans would not provide sufficient facilities for train and customs inspections.