Difference Of Opinion About Union Pacific’s Future Plans For A Third Rail Line Through Bryan/College Station

Image from Union Pacific's Twitter account.
Image from Union Pacific's Twitter account.

There is a difference of opinion about future activity by Union Pacific railroad in College Station and Bryan.

A spokesman at Union Pacific railroad tells WTAW News that there is not a current plan to add a third rail line in the College Station/Bryan area.

WTAW News requested the Union Pacific response after the presiding officer of Brazos County’s regional mobility authority, Karl Mooney, told county commissioners that the railroad has asked permission for a third rail line.

Mooney also told county commissioners a third rail line “will create a number of hassles for us with regards of transportation. And anyone who had who sit like I did the other day while a Union Pacific train blocked Rock Prairie Road for over a half hour knows that there’s a need for conversation along those lines too.”

Click below to hear Karl Mooney’s comments during the August 26, 2025 Brazos County commission meeting.

 

Union Pacific senior communications manager Mike Jaixen in Omaha also told WTAW News that while there is not a current plan, “we always protect space within existing railroad right-of-way to allow for possible expansion and growth in future years.” Jaixen would not answer if Union Pacific currently has enough right of way to accommodate a third rail line.

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