Sometimes known as the "Old Reliable Short Line," service commenced around 1859 and operated for 136 years under its original charter.
[1] The railway remained mostly under control of the Confederate States of America (CSA) during the American Civil War.
This legacy rail track is 47 miles long and lies just east of I-45 while running parallel to it.
The Galveston Subdivision has principal connections to the Houston regional freight network at its junction with the West Belt Subdivision and at its junction with the Union Pacific Railroad Galveston at Virginia Point.
Even though it is mostly single-track with occasional sidings, the Union Pacific reported an average of fifteen to twenty-five trains per day in 2005.