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Union Pacific, BNSF working to restore rail traffic

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March 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific says its crews are working around the clock so rail traffic can return to normal in Nebraska and adjacent states hard hit by floodwaters from a late-winter storm and snowmelt. Spokeswoman Raquel Espinoza said Wednesday that workers are clearing trees and other debris off the Omaha-based railroad’s tracks and have begun repairing them and bridges. Some of the lines run between Nebraska and Iowa or merely within Nebraska.

She says water remains over portions of the tracks between Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Kansas City, Kansas. The company is unsure when that line can be reopened. Levees have been breached or overtopped in southwest Iowa. Fort Worth, Texas-based BNSF Railway says it also is confronting flood-related washouts in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota.