Omaha, Neb., September 05, 2012- Union Pacific Railroad is enhancing Iowa's transportation infrastructure by investing nearly $14 million in the rail line that runs between Grand Mound and Boone. The project is in progress and is scheduled to be completed by mid November.

The project includes replacing nearly 80,000 ties, spreading 44,800 tons of rock ballast to help provide a more stable roadbed, renewing the surfaces at 84 road crossings and replacing a total of two and one-half miles of rail in various curves.

Union Pacific plans to invest $3.6 billion in its rail network during 2012, supporting America's current and future freight transportation needs and enhancing the safety and efficiency of the railroad's 32,000-mile network. 

Union Pacific's capital and maintenance program exceeds infrastructure spending of the state highway departments in 46 states. These are private investments, not taxpayer dollars.

Improved and additional rail capacity benefits everyone. It allows freight rail service to grow, contributing to a cleaner environment. Union Pacific can move one ton of freight nearly 500 miles on a single gallon of diesel fuel, and, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, freight trains are nearly four times more fuel efficient than trucks. Motorists also benefit from reduced congestion on highways as a single Union Pacific train can remove up to 300 trucks off our roads.

About Union Pacific

It was 150 years ago that Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act of July 1, 1862, creating the original Union Pacific. One of America's iconic companies, today, Union Pacific Railroad is the principal operating company of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP), linking 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country by rail and providing freight solutions and logistics expertise to the global supply chain. From 2000 through 2011, Union Pacific spent more than $31 billion on its network and operations, making needed investments in America's infrastructure and enhancing its ability to provide safe, reliable, fuel-efficient and environmentally responsible freight transportation. Union Pacific's diversified business mix includes Agricultural Products, Automotive, Chemicals, Coal, Industrial Products and Intermodal. The railroad serves many of the fastest-growing U.S. population centers and emphasizes excellent customer service. Union Pacific operates competitive routes from all major West Coast and Gulf Coast ports to eastern gateways, connects with Canada's rail systems and is the only railroad serving all six major Mexico gateways.