Western Railroad Discussion > UP--Oakland Z's

Today while driving along Middle Harbor Rd, I noticed a FEDEX tractor hauling an EMP container out of the UP-Oakland ramp. A little later I noted the another FEDEX/EMP combo south along I-880. On other occasions, I've observed EMP and UMAX containers at the UPS main sort facility near the Oakland Airport. About six weeks ago , I saw EMP's at the UPS facility along HWY99 in Stockton . These observations along with observing much longer ZOAG2/ZG2OA trains makes one conclude that UP has attracted Priority business well beyond the South Bay-UPS originally reported. Has UP really captured this much market share or were these just singular events?

Saw a decent sized one Saturday west bound in truckee, about 50 cars. Saw another today stopped at Verdi that was only about 20 cars. Go figure?

I know UPS will lease domestic containers from UP (or NS, CSX, CP, whomever as more than one railroad is involved in these container programs with UP). I've seen EMP containers on BNSF trains carrying UPS traffic. Don't know if that's what you are seeing, or if in fact UP is picking up more business from the BNSF, but my bets are that UPS and FEDEX, after their service performance problems last year, has beefed up their fleets with rented boxes this holiday season.

See this:


http://www.up.com/customers/announcements/intermodal/domesticmiscellaneous/IM2014-435.html




Allen

In looking at schedules, it seems a 2000 cut-off is too early for last sorts at UPS/FedEx, and 0800 availability is too late to get out in the morning. Would seem that a cut-off around 0200 to 0500 and availability around 1400 to 2000 would be best for package carriers?

Bruce Gillings

Is this a new train or just a revision of the current ZG2OA/ZOAG2 schedules?

Davis

It must be a new train. On the few times I've seen the ZOAG2(last summer) it was out of Roseville 6:30-7:00 meaning it left Oakland in the wee hours (3:30-4:00)thereby fitting the package carriers' schedules. The W/B train is usually thru Martinez around 1630, again conforming to the inbound schedules.What gives?

Or maybe it's not a new train, but rather a later delivery and an earlier cutoff for the non-package-express and non-LTL customers, thereby giving the ramp time to work the priority customers last (outbound train) and first (inbound train).

If so, it's interesting that UP chooses not to publicly announce the cutoff and availability times for the premium customers.

Best regards,

Rob L.

Rob L. Your explanation of cut-off/availability time differentials is the most logical one. There probably is not another train--at least not yet.

In the Sparks NV yard, there is a lot less containers stored as of Sunday. Looks almost empty.

The dropping of the Sunday Z train (out of Chicago) surprises me a bit, but I'll have to check and see if the new schedules are an upgrade or downgrade from the current service. UP really needs to upgrade the Lathrop K trains back to Z trains to keep the schedules tight on those trains as well, and I don't know why that wasn't done when the Oakland Zs started up last January. Surely the Overland Route can handle another pair of expedited Z trains on all of that double track.

The ZOAG2s usually run bigger than the wb counterparts, and in addition to the UPS biz previously mentioned, the trains are picking up a lot more EMP/UMAX business from other shippers in the Bay Area. Also seeing more maritime containers and even some new tofc running on the eb trains, so maybe UP is at least getting a few of the larger trucking companies to give the service a try. The business on those trains from the Reno/Sparks area is also doing well.

Mystic_Falls Wrote:
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> The dropping of the Sunday Z train (out of
> Chicago) surprises me a bit, but I'll have to
> check and see if the new schedules are an upgrade
> or downgrade from the current service. UP really
> needs to upgrade the Lathrop K trains back to Z
> trains to keep the schedules tight on those trains
> as well, and I don't know why that wasn't done
> when the Oakland Zs started up last January.
> Surely the Overland Route can handle another pair
> of expedited Z trains on all of that double track.
>
>
> The ZOAG2s usually run bigger than the wb
> counterparts, and in addition to the UPS biz
> previously mentioned, the trains are picking up a
> lot more EMP/UMAX business from other shippers in
> the Bay Area. Also seeing more maritime containers
> and even some new tofc running on the eb trains,
> so maybe UP is at least getting a few of the
> larger trucking companies to give the service a
> try. The business on those trains from the
> Reno/Sparks area is also doing well.

Yes, but are these other customers willing to "pay" for the enhanced service; or are they just filling the train with lower value business? That is likely why the "K" trains in and out of Lathrop are just that, "K" trains, as the customers may not interested in paying more for faster service.

They increased the speed on the KG2LT and the KLTG2 back to 70mph about a month ago.

What's the reasoning on there being both a KLTG2 and KLTG3 but only a KG2LT returning?

Davis

cpn456 Wrote:
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> Yes, but are these other customers willing to
> "pay" for the enhanced service; or are they just
> filling the train with lower value business? That
> is likely why the "K" trains in and out of Lathrop
> are just that, "K" trains, as the customers may
> not interested in paying more for faster service.

Seems like UP had a lot of customers out of Lathrop willing to pay for the expedited service when those trains were Zs, but when the trains reverted to Ks, some of the truckers moved on, so would think the faster running times on the Zs would still hold some appeal for the customers. Me thinks UP wanted to lessen the load for the dispatchers in not having to deal with more than one hot Z train betweeh Norcal and Ogden (where the double main begins), which is why the Lathrop trains were downgraded.

I fully expect the Lathrop K trains to once again be Z trains one of these years.

upengr21 Wrote:
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> They increased the speed on the KG2LT and the
> KLTG2 back to 70mph about a month ago.

So the Throttle-5/50 mph restriction was dropped on those trains? I always hear the jokes about the UP's 50 mph K-trains due to that very restriction, so that would be a step in the right direction if the FCS 50 was lifted on those trains.

strench707 Wrote:
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> What's the reasoning on there being both a KLTG2
> and KLTG3 but only a KG2LT returning?

KLTG3s only run 3-times-per-week right now. Those were formerly the KLTG2Xs for quite a while, but now the trains are handling more maritime business, hence the symbol change. Don't have as much business coming west so the KG2LTs can handle it...for now.