The Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern railroads announced a new service to transport chemical shipments linking UP-served regions in southern Texas and Louisiana with Northeast and Southeast U.S. destinations served by Norfolk Southern, the two railroads said last week.

The service, called Gulf Coast Flyer, "promotes expedited service for (chemical) customers between the Gulf Coast region and major markets across the Northeast and Southeast," the railroads said in a joint statement. Eastbound and westbound shipments between the two railroads connect at gateways in Salem, Ill., and New Orleans, they said.

The railroads said that from 2006 through 2008, they invested $740 million in terminals, main lines, bridges, and sidings along Gulf Coast traffic lanes. They said the improvements have improved transit times by 20 percent on those lanes.