Union Pacific railroad puts its shipping limits on hold

By JOSH FUNK
AP Business Writer

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific says it will stop imposing temporary limits on shipments while it reviews the policy that federal regulators and shippers criticized at a hearing last week. Union Pacific has put more than 1,000 of these embargoes in place this year as part of its effort to clear up congestion. CEO Lance Fritz said a brief letter to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board Friday that UP will put all new embargoes on hold. These orders that force businesses to pull some of their railcars off of UP’s network caught regulators eye because they are up significantly over the past few years. Members of the STB and companies that rely on railroads said the embargoes disrupt business operations and drive up shipping costs.