Union Pacific Railroad and Amtrak have reached an agreement permitting passenger services to run on a section of track in Louisiana, enabling a reroute of the Sunset Limited service.

The arrangement allows Amtrak to operate trains along a five-mile stretch of Union Pacific-owned railway near Avondale from 1 April 2026.

Amtrak’s Sunset Limited

Eric Gehringer, Union Pacific Executive Vice President – Operations said:

Amtrak is a key industry partner, and this agreement underscores our ongoing commitment to working with them to enhance both passenger and freight rail services.

Amtrak has operated on Union Pacific’s network since the national passenger service was established in 1971. The company said its trains travel around 4.6 million miles each year on Union Pacific lines, alongside approximately 2.9 million miles on the Norfolk Southern network.

Jennifer Mitchell, Amtrak Executive Vice President, Strategy, Planning and Accessibility said:

We are grateful to have reached this agreement with Union Pacific. Both Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have shown a strong commitment to quality Amtrak passenger rail service.

The updated routing in Louisiana forms part of ongoing coordination between freight and passenger rail operators in the United States.

Tags

source= https://railway-news.com/agreement-allows-amtrak-trains-to-use-union-pacific-track-in-louisiana/