Western Railroad Discussion > Union Pacific Exits The Speedway

I haven't seen a thread on this yet.
Effective November 17th, UP Premium Intermodal Service between the west coast and the southeast (Austell, GA and various eastern seaboard locations) will be routed via Memphis (the original routing) instead of Shreveport.

In short, no more Union Pacitic Z Trains on the Speedway after the 17th.  These trains run as I-968 and I-969 between Shreveport, Louisiana and Meridian, Mississippi.

Here are the details:  https://www.up.com/customers/announcements/premium/allpremium/PR2024-113.html

That reduces scheduled trains per day on the Speedway to 10.

VR Out

Any idea / reasons why for the change, which I assume will be a slower transit time?

I'm glad I made the time to hang out on The Speedway this summer. 
Eastbound crossing the Big Black River in Bovina MS 7/29/24.

Tom Paris    St. Petersburg FL

---

The point of interchange between UP and NS is Shreveport, with CPKC operating the trains from Shreveport to Meridian on a haulage arrangement.  Soon after the CP/KCS merger was implemented, CPKC restricted all trains, including the eastbound intermodal trains from UP to NS to siding clearing trains so that meets between these trains and all others on the route (including which train held the main track) would not be determined by excess length trains.  

There may be other reasons for the change but this is probably one of them.  Both NS and UP understand that soon Mexico volume and CSX intermodal volume will start showing up over the former Meridian & Bigbee route.  Now that the STB decision has been rendered on that transaction the rehabilitation of the MNBR will soon begin and within a year additional volume for the Speedway should be showing up at Meridian.  

What happens to NS investment in the Speedway?  Will there be any NS trains left on the Speedway?

mapboy

Limiting trains to those which fit in sidings seems like a good idea.

Posted from Android

The message from UP is a little confusing to me.  It says shipments originating at Lathrop, ICTF and on-dock, and Santa Teresa.    It says nothing about shipments from East LA intermodal, which is what the Speedway Z trains use.  

How many additional miles?

Vicksburg_Route Wrote:
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> That reduces scheduled trains per day on the
> Speedway to 10.

Good news for Amtrak's Crescent.

Also, I believe, Austell can be served without dragging anything backwards. Come to think of it, that should help Amtrak, too.

Did they stop running the New York traffic on the Speedway? I'm not up on that area, and they make no mention of it.

Based on that UP announcement, I doubt that the LA-Atlanta Z trains are moving to Memphis, it is saying that all Lathrop and international traffic out of the LA/LB ports will now route through Memphis.  I believe the Lathrop block had been on the LA-Atl Z, and the port traffic sometimes ran direct eastbound as a split off train from Longview, TX to Atlanta via Meridian.  I don't know how Santa Teresa traffic had been forwarded.

memphisfreight Wrote:
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> The message from UP is a little confusing to me. 
> It says shipments originating at Lathrop, ICTF and
> on-dock, and Santa Teresa.    It says nothing
> about shipments from East LA intermodal, which is
> what the Speedway Z trains use.  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/03/24 13:39 by baretables.

baretables Wrote:
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> Based on that UP announcement, I doubt that the
> LA-Atlanta Z trains are moving to Memphis, it is
> saying that all Lathrop and international traffic
> out of the LA/LB ports will now route through
> Memphis.  I believe the Lathrop block had been on
> the LA-Atl Z, and the port traffic sometimes ran
> direct eastbound as a split off train from
> Longview, TX to Atlanta via Meridian.  I don't
> know how Santa Teresa traffic had been forwarded.
>
> memphisfreight Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The message from UP is a little confusing to
> me. 
> > It says shipments originating at Lathrop, ICTF
> and
> > on-dock, and Santa Teresa.    It says nothing
> > about shipments from East LA intermodal, which
> is
> > what the Speedway Z trains use.  

This sounds correct to me.    UP and NS have the UPS contract between ATL and LA, and I doubt they want to go back thru Memphis as that makes the BNSF line to BHM more competitive.   As for the mentioned domestic business swap, the Z trains from LA to Memphis are already pretty big with sizeable NS and CSX blocks, guess they will get even bigger.    They should have room to run the marine biz on the existing Socal to Memphis I trains.   

So CPKC said no more no-fitters allowed in this part of its territory?  I suspect that didn't make the UP happy, even though nobody should be doing no-fitters.

Quick question:  What are the transit times between Los Angeles, CA to Atlanta, GA for UP and BNSF premium Z trains?

Thank you,
Vic

Seems that my initial message has created a lot of confusion.  What I expected to be a straightforward topic has turned a bit muddy.

To the best of my knowledge based on watching the eastbound and westbound UP/NS Z Trains on the Speedway, I have never seen an international container on those trains.

Until early 2024, UP and NS ran a daily eastbound Long Beach to Atlanta intermodal, with mixed domestic and international containers via the Speedway.  This train, called the I-LBNS to the best of my recollection, was moved to the Memphis gateway in early 2024.  

Given the fact that the UP announcement was to Premium Intermodal Service Customers, I find it odd that international container shipments were mentioned.  I am sure that there are premium international container customers, but I am unfamiliar with that part of the business.

I guess we'll know by Thanksgiving whether or not the UP Z Trains will continue traveling the Speedway.  

VR Out.

Vicksburg_Route Wrote:
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> Seems that my initial message has created a lot of
> confusion.  What I expected to be a
> straightforward topic has turned a bit muddy.

The confusion comes from the fact that you said West Coast which includes many terminals NOT indicated in the UP announcement as well as the subject line which YOU state that UP "exists" the speedway which the UP announcement again is talking about only specific terminals and specific trains.

This all seems like a way for UP+NS to (somewhat) grow their LA-ATL domestic IM lane while still adhering to CPKC's one-sided imposition of a train length limit for those trains. With no clear indication that their own trains will be held to these limits.

The Meridian Speedway is a very strategic route for NS (and thus interchange partner UP) that should justify joint NS+CPKC capital spending to lengthen sidings to accommodate the expected growth of both the new CPKC+CSX service as well as growth the the UP+NS service.

The STB should have insisted that Meridian Speedway co-owner NS would not face capacity limitations not also faced by CPKC as a condition of the Meridian and Bigbee acquisition.

Perhaps the additional Memphis traffic can justify another LA-Memphis I train frequency, since it was observed above the at the LA-Memphis trains are already quite long. More frequencies is more attractive for shippers.

The C1 railroads keep shooting themselves in the foot when the consider competing railroads and not trucks as the competition to beat. 

pbouzide Wrote:
> Perhaps the additional Memphis traffic can justify
> another LA-Memphis I train frequency, since it was
> observed above the at the LA-Memphis trains are
> already quite long. More frequencies is more
> attractive for shippers.

This is UP we are talking about.   

memphisfreight Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> pbouzide Wrote:
> > Perhaps the additional Memphis traffic can
> justify
> > another LA-Memphis I train frequency, since it
> was
> > observed above the at the LA-Memphis trains are
> > already quite long. More frequencies is more
> > attractive for shippers.
>
> This is UP we are talking about.   

Yeah and it's also low margin IM, so I shouldn't have even put the thought to print.

Well, actually, it wasn't addressed to Premium Intermodal Service customers. It was filed under the Premium section, which includes all Intermodal, Finished Automobiles and Automotive Parts. 



Vicksburg_Route Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Seems that my initial message has created a lot of
> confusion.  What I expected to be a
> straightforward topic has turned a bit muddy.
>
> To the best of my knowledge based on watching the
> eastbound and westbound UP/NS Z Trains on the
> Speedway, I have never seen an international
> container on those trains.
>
> Until early 2024, UP and NS ran a daily eastbound
> Long Beach to Atlanta intermodal, with mixed
> domestic and international containers via the
> Speedway.  This train, called the I-LBNS to the
> best of my recollection, was moved to the Memphis
> gateway in early 2024.  
>
> Given the fact that the UP announcement was to
> Premium Intermodal Service Customers, I find it
> odd that international container shipments were
> mentioned.  I am sure that there are premium
> international container customers, but I am
> unfamiliar with that part of the business.
>
> I guess we'll know by Thanksgiving whether or not
> the UP Z Trains will continue traveling the
> Speedway.  
>
> VR Out.