Historic Laredo
An illustrated history of the city of Laredo and the Webb County area, paired with the histories of companies, families and organizations that make the region great.
An illustrated history of the city of Laredo and the Webb County area, paired with the histories of companies, families and organizations that make the region great.
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UNION<br />
PACIFIC<br />
RAILROAD<br />
The coming of the railroad in 1881 changed<br />
<strong>Laredo</strong> forever. The Union Pacific rail line from<br />
San Antonio to <strong>Laredo</strong> was originally constructed<br />
by the International and Great Northern<br />
Railroad. It became part of the Missouri Pacific<br />
Railroad in 1873 and in 1982 merged with<br />
Union Pacific.<br />
Union Pacific Railroad is a subsidiary of<br />
Union Pacific Corporation, a Fortune 500 company<br />
headquartered in Dallas, with regional<br />
operating offices spanning the nation. Union<br />
Pacific Corporation is the largest railroad in<br />
North America, operating in the western twothirds<br />
of the U.S. The system serves 23 states,<br />
linking every major West Coast and Gulf Coast<br />
port.<br />
Union Pacific is Texas’ largest railroad, serving<br />
all of its major cities and gulf ports. With<br />
lines to the international gateways at El Paso,<br />
<strong>Laredo</strong>, Eagle Pass, and Brownsville, Union<br />
Pacific is the primary U.S. rail link to Mexico. In<br />
Texas, Union Pacific runs over 6,349 miles of<br />
track and employs over 8,700 persons with a<br />
$522.8 million payroll.<br />
<strong>Laredo</strong> is Union Pacific’s primary Mexico<br />
gateway, handling seventy to eighty-percent of<br />
its rail cargo into and out of Mexico. In addition<br />
to the railroad switchyard located in the downtown<br />
area, it operates Port <strong>Laredo</strong>, a major<br />
intermodal terminal and classification yard facility<br />
in North <strong>Laredo</strong>. Under construction since<br />
1990 with a cost of $40 million, the 530-acre<br />
facility has been expanded with additional<br />
tracks and cranes to accommodate more than<br />
800 trailers and 1,200 rail cars.<br />
Major commodities shipped through the<br />
<strong>Laredo</strong> port include autos and auto parts, industrial<br />
products (metals, minerals and forest products),<br />
intermodal trailers and containers, agricultural<br />
products, and chemicals.<br />
Union Pacific has a $1.5 million federal services<br />
building and inspection area at Port <strong>Laredo</strong>.<br />
The facility improves the inspection process for<br />
U.S. Customs Border Patrol and the Department<br />
of Agriculture. In addition, Union Pacific spent<br />
$9.2 million on track improvements and signal<br />
construction on the line between <strong>Laredo</strong> and<br />
San Antonio.<br />
✧<br />
Top: The International Railroad<br />
Bridge into Mexico.<br />
Below: Union Pacific Railroad depot.<br />
Sharing the Heritage ✦ 109
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