Union Pacific Railroad

Union Pacific Railroad operates the principal rail corridor running through the Coachella Valley. Known as the Yuma Subdivision, this section forms part of the larger Sunset Route connecting Southern California with Arizona, Texas and major freight destinations across the United States.

Freight trains are a familiar sight along the valley’s northern edge before the tracks continue through Indio, Coachella and the agricultural communities of the eastern Coachella Valley. The railroad carries domestic and international cargo while preserving a transportation route that has shaped the region’s development for generations.

These same Union Pacific tracks are also central to plans for expanded passenger-rail service between Los Angeles and the Coachella Valley. That proposal remains under study and would require agreements and infrastructure improvements before additional passenger trains could operate along the corridor.

• Explore the proposed Coachella Valley Rail route, stations and timeline