(Unusually?) High Traffic on UP's Sunset Route

[johnny.menhennet]

I was travelling on I-8 on a trip from San Diego to Phoenix on the 1st, and I was very surprised due to the high number of freights I saw. Just between Winterhaven, CA, and Gila Bend, AZ, at least 6-7 westbound freights passed me. No eastbounds. I had no idea that the Sunset Route supported such a high traffic volume, since it's basically a single track line with sidings the entire way. My guess is that UP was just stacking them up to get as many as they could through on the one track, but I'm not really sure. Anybody else know if this traffic is normal/if my assumption was right?

 

[Trogdor]

Heavy freight traffic on a single-track railroad until the economic slowdown of the late 2000s is what led to the Sunsed Limited's absolutely horrible on-time performance.

I don't know how traffic has been lately on that line, but in the past, that route was very congested.

 

[Oldsmoboi]

There are at least two major transcontinental routes to the north that are closed (or have been) lately. More than likely it's just freight trying to push through as best it can.

 

[George Harris]

Double tracking is back under way. I do not know to what extent, but all between Tucson and El Paso was double tracked before the economic slowdown caused the work to be put on hold. In addition, there were several double track segments west of Tucson also in place.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I've been trying to figure out part of the Sunset route lately. If you sit and wait by the tracks for a little bit of trainspotting you'd be forgiven for thinking the line is rather dead. It might take an hour or more to see your first train and another hour after that to see the next. But if you drive alongside the route for any distance you'd be forgiven for thinking it was backed up beyond all belief seeing all the Union Pacific trains waiting on siding after siding after siding. If you bust out the scanner everyone sounds so casual and indifferent. It's entirely removed from listening to ATC for instance, with everyone trying to keep to their schedule or claw their way back to it. So much traffic just casually sitting around like a parking lot waiting to time out. Or at least that's how it seems from a distance. It's quite the conundrum. :blink:

 

[had8ley]

Double tracking is back under way. I do not know to what extent, but all between Tucson and El Paso was double tracked before the economic slowdown caused the work to be put on hold. In addition, there were several double track segments west of Tucson also in place.

George~ wasn't there some kind of disagreement between the UP and the state of Arizona some time back concerning the double tracking?