President Donald Trump‘s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy touted freight train operator Union Pacific Corp.‘s (NYSE:UNP) newest locomotive, built to commemorate America’s 250th Fourth of July celebration.
Sean Duffy Touts Locomotive Built To Honor Trump
In a post on X on Monday, Duffy touted Union Pacific’s Locomotive No. 4547, built to honor Trump and celebrate “America’s 250th birthday.”
Duffy then shared that the locomotive’s first task was “hauling solid rocket motor segments” that will be utilized in NASA’s Artemis III mission. “The Trump Train is Rolling,” Duffy said.
According to a press release published by Union Pacific on June 3rd, Locomotive 4547 is the third locomotive built to honor Presidents, with Locomotive 1616 made for President Abraham Lincoln and Locomotive 4141 built to honor President George H.W. Bush.
“As No. 4547 carries these rocket components, it represents the strength of our nation’s supply chain and our role in connecting the country,” Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena said.
Most recently, Union Pacific signed an agreement with Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. (NYSE:WAB) worth $1.2 billion to modernize the railroad’s AC4400 locomotives. The fleet will include over 1,700 modernized locomotives, deliveries for which are slated to begin in 2027 upon completion, the agreement stipulates.
NASA Artemis
Recently, NASA outlined its goal of establishing a base on the lunar surface, with preparations underway to return humans to the Moon with the Artemis mission. The plan was backed by SpaceX and Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk.
Companies like General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM) announced agreements with NASA, with the automaker saying its defense unit will supply battery-electric propulsion for a new lunar terrain vehicle.
Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos‘ commercial space flight company Blue Origin also landed a deal with NASA to deliver two rovers to the lunar surface using its uncrewed Blue Origin Mark 1 Endurance cargo lander.
Rail Safety Reforms
Meanwhile, the railroad sector has recently come under the spotlight, with Trump backing a safety reform bill aimed at improving railroads in the U.S. following the 2023 East Palestine Derailment incident.
Former President Joe Biden-era Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also offered his support for the bill, saying that conservatives were “in the way” of reforms in the sector to curb derailments.
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