BusIness GuIde

Air, Rail, Water, Interstates Converge forIdeal Intermodal NetworkTRANSPORTATIONAnother family-friendly amenity isthe newly installed family restroompost-security located adjacent toGate 7 in the rotunda. Passengerstraveling with small children oradults with special needs or circumstancesmay now experience the convenience,accessibility and privacyoffered.RailUnion Pacific Railroad, BNSF, ArkansasMidland Railway, ArkansasWestern and Amtrak serve the LittleRock area with freight and passengerrail service.ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTContinued growth in passenger numbers has strengthened Little Rock National Airport’s position in seeking new andmore direct air service.AirLittle Rock National Airport isserved by American Eagle, ContinentalExpress, Delta, Delta Connection,Northwest, NorthwestAirlink, Southwest and USAirwaysExpress airlines. Nonstop jet serviceis offered to Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, D.C., Charlotte, Chicago(Midway and O’Hare), Cincinnati,Dallas (DFW and Love Field),Denver, Detroit, Houston (Hobbyand Intercontinental), Las Vegas,Memphis, Newark and St. Louis.In 2007, the airlines serving LittleRock handled about 2.5 millionpassengers. The continued growthin passenger numbers has strengthenedLittle Rock National’s positionwith the airlines in seeking new andmore direct service. In addition tocommercial aircraft, the airportserves a large number of generalaviation/private aircraft. Also on airportproperty are two of the region’smajor aviation employers, DassaultFalcon Jet and Hawker BeechcraftAircraft.A number of improvement projectshave been completed at the airport,including lengthening of the commercialservice runway on the eastside of the terminal by 1,050 feetand major upgrades to the concourse.Work continues on lengthening thegeneral aviation runway (18 – 36) by1,000 feet to the north. Other projectsapproved by the Airport Commissionare plans to build a baggage screeningin-line system, which will remove thescreening machines from the lobby,renovation of the ticket counters andthe addition of a lane in the securitycheckpoint to increase passengerthroughput and decrease the linesduring peak hours.Little Rock National Airport continuesto make great strides in providingservices and additions thatmeet passenger expectations. Newfeatures like the live music program,co-sponsored by airport concessionaireHMS Host, continue to be verypopular with customers, as is theCustomer Care Center on the secondlevel of the terminal. Two additionalcenters have opened in theconcourse that offer a wide range ofcustomer services, including AirportAngels volunteers, real time flighttrackingmaps on both levels of theterminal, a mail-back program, theAirport Special Assistance Programfor those flying into or out of LittleRock for medical treatment, personalitem bags and "booties" forpassengers waiting at screening.Little Rock National became oneof the first airports in the nationto offer the Registered Travelerprogram, which provides enrolledpassengers a speedier screening process.The card is good at any airportoffering the RT program.A new addition to the lower level inbaggage claim is what is being calledthe "Market Place" concept, whichprovides a more updated look witha new bistro arrangement that includes18 new tables and seating.Guests in the terminal enjoy thewarmth and comfort of the space.The Arkansas Gallery, which hasbeen located on the concourse adjacentto Gate 6 at Little Rock NationalAirport, has reopened in anew second-level location near thepre-security screening area, makingit available to all those who visit theairport. The exhibits reflect the richcultural heritage found in both thecity and state and provides a samplingof the world-class exhibitsavailable at galleries, museums andother venues.The Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR)North Little Rock locomotive overhauland maintenance facilities arethe largest of their kind for UPRRand among the largest in the world.The Jenks Shop locomotive complexemploys more than 1,100 skilledand dedicated workers, who performheavy maintenance on a fleetof 7,000 locomotives that pull morethan 2,000 trains each day throughoutthe western two-thirds of theUnited States.The shop complex was named afterDowning B. Jenks, former chairmanof Missouri Pacific Railroad, whichjoined the UP family via merger in1982.The majority of the complex isdominated by the main Jenks Shopheavy locomotive repair facility, withmore than 272,000 square feet ofspace, 227,000 of which is devotedto the main shop floor.In a tight cluster to the north andeast of the main shop are five otherstructures and several designatedareas, each with a special purpose,including a material storage yard,storage tracks, a load test facility, ashutdown/start-up area, a prewashbuilding, a tank farm and a pumphouse,plus a locomotive paint shop,wheel shop, turbo repair shop andelectric shop. Union Pacific's JenksShop complex includes the mainshop building for heavy locomotiverepair, a system wheel shop, turboLittle Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce 2009 Business Guide 73