The trade war between the U.S. and China has prompted a Utah iron ore mine to shut down, a move that at least temporarily ends Union Pacific unit train operations between Cedar City, Utah, and the Port of Long Beach, Calif.
Utah Iron LLC announced on Wednesday that it would close the Cedar City mine amid rising Chinese tariffs on imports from the U.S. The mine had been supplying Chinese steelmakers with iron ore.
“We are navigating uncharted waters with unfamiliar and seemingly insurmountable risks. While it pains us to suspend our mining operations, it is a necessary step while we regroup and adjust to current market pressures,” the mining company said in a news release.
UP began handling export ore from the mine to the Port of Long Beach in October 2020.
The service began with 90-car ore trains. UP eventually shifted to operation of 154-car, 21,500-ton ore trains that were more than 8,100 feet long and powered by up to eight locomotives in 3x3x2 distributed power configuration.
The traffic was the top carload commodity for Pacific Harbor Line, the neutral switching carrier that serves the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
