Company Announcements
July 17, 2026
Rocky Mountain Steel delivers first stick of rail to Union Pacific
Written by Ethan Bernard
Rocky Mountain Steel Mills said Union Pacific Railroad has received the first stick of rail from the steelmaker’s new long rail mill in Pueblo, Colo.
The companies said this marks the start of operations at Rocky Mountain Steel’s $1.2-billion facility, the nation’s only fully dedicated steel rail mill.
“Our partnership with Union Pacific demonstrates what is possible when American companies work together to strengthen domestic supply chains and invest in the future,” Orion Steel CEO Doug Matthews, parent company of Rocky Mountain Steel, said in a joint statement on Thursday.
The facility produces 100-meter (328-foot) lengths of premium rail. Rocky Mountain Steel said the operation delivers efficiency gains, requiring 80% fewer welds than standard 80-foot rails.
The two companies reached a new seven-year contract for the domestic production of steel rails in April. Terms of that deal were not disclosed.
Rocky Mountain Steel has an annual capacity of 1.1 million tons of EAF-based steel. Other markets served include wire rod and rebar, and seamless OCTG.
Recall that Greenwich, Conn.-based private equity firm Atlas Holdings completed its purchase of Evraz North America and its subsidiaries last July. The steelmaker now operates under the name Orion Steel Companies.
