Union Pacific to Stop Container Service

To help alleviate substantial congestion at inland terminals and at the ports, Union Pacific is temporarily suspending eastbound service from West Coast port terminals to its Global IV intermodal complex in Chicago. This, in an effort to help ocean carriers minimize their backlogs.

Union Pacific believes that a seven-day ban will not only help reduce port traffic congestion for Chicago bound containers but will also help solve traffic congestion on containers headed elsewhere.

This suspension is in effect for locations where UP serves terminals in Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland, California and also for locations where it serves terminals in Tacoma, Washington.

Customers shipping IPI 20-foot or 40-foot equipment, rather than domestic 53-foot equipment, are apparently exempt from the restriction, according to FreightWaves.

UP, along with other supply chain partners such as Class I railroads, have been dealing with West Coast port congestion as the economic recovery and robust e-commerce activities have kept U.S. import levels brisk.