NORTH DAKOTA STATE RAIL PLAN Prepared by UPPER GREAT PLAINS TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE for NORTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Bismarck, North Dakota Website: http://www.dot.nd.gov DIRECTOR Francis G. Ziegler December 2007 ii iii iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 - ND RAIL PLANNING GUIDANCE ___________________________ 5 Purpose, Scope, and Use _____________________________________________________ 5 Goals and Strategies ________________________________________________________ 5 Trends ____________________________________________________________________ 8 Policy Statements ___________________________________________________________ 9 Brief History ______________________________________________________________ 11 North Dakota Railroad System Today _________________________________________ 12 Carrier Profiles – Class I Railroads ___________________________________________ 14 BNSF Railway (BNSF) .......................................................................................................................14 Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) ......................................................................................................15 Carrier Profiles – Regional Railroads _________________________________________ 16 Dakota, Missouri Valley & Western (DVMW)................................................................................16 Northern Plains Railroad (NPR) ......................................................................................................17 Red River Valley & Western Railroad (RRVW) ............................................................................18 Carrier Profiles – Local Railroads ____________________________________________ 19 Dakota Northern Railroad (DNRR) .................................................................................................19 Yellowstone Valley Railroad (YSVR) ...............................................................................................19 Railroad Network Characteristics ____________________________________________ 21 Track Condition and Quality Indicators .........................................................................................21 Rail Grade Crossing Characteristics ................................................................................................23 Characteristics of Shipper Facilities .................................................................................................24 Storage Capacity ................................................................................................................................24 Side Track Capacity ...........................................................................................................................24 Shuttle Train Elevators .....................................................................................................................25 BNSF Railway Requirements ............................................................................................................25 CPR Requirements ............................................................................................................................25 NDDOT SHUTTLE AND BIOFUEL PLANT IMPACT ANALYSIS ..........................................26 Rail Passenger Service and Traffic Levels ______________________________________ 34 CHAPTER 3 - RAILROAD FREIGHT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS AND GUIDELINES ________________________________________________________ 37 Brief History .......................................................................................................................................37 North Dakota Local Rail Freight Assistance Program ____________________________ 37 North Dakota Freight Rail Improvement Program ______________________________ 38 Benefits of Rail Freight Assistance Programs .................................................................................38 Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety Programs ________________________________ 39 v Brief History .......................................................................................................................................39 U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Action Plan ............................................................40 Onboard Railroad Warning and Sounding Devices .......................................................................41 Conspicuous Locomotives .................................................................................................................42 Reflectorized Rolling Stock ...............................................................................................................42 Highway System Engineering and Enforcement Innovations ........................................................43 Enhancements of Highway Railroad Interface................................................................................43 Obstruction of Visibility ....................................................................................................................43 State Grade Crossing Safety Programs ________________________________________ 43 Operation Lifesaver ________________________________________________________ 44 APPENDIX A _________________________________________________________ 47 TRAFFIC AND COMMODITY STATISTICS ______________________________ 47 Railroad Statistics _________________________________________________________ 49 Farm Products Traffic .......................................................................................................................54 Coal, Chemical, and Food Products Traffic ....................................................................................57 Value of North Dakota Shipments ____________________________________________ 59 APPENDIX B _________________________________________________________ 61 RAIL LINE ABANDONMENTS _________________________________________ 61 Abandonment Procedures and Regulations ____________________________________ 63 Full Abandonment .............................................................................................................................63 Exempt Abandonment .......................................................................................................................64 Feeder Railroad Development Program ..........................................................................................65 APPENDIX C ________________________________________________________ 69 DESCRIPTION OF NORTH DAKOTA RAIL LINES ________________________ 69 Devils Lake Subdivision (BNSF) ______________________________________________ 71 Drayton Subdivision (BNSF)_________________________________________________ 72 Glasston Subdivision (BNSF) ________________________________________________ 73 Hannah Subdivision (BNSF) _________________________________________________ 74 Hillsboro Subdivision (BNSF) ________________________________________________ 75 Hunter, Clifford, & Prosper Subdivisions (BNSF) _______________________________ 76 Warwick Subdivision (BNSF) ________________________________________________ 78 Jamestown Subdivision (BNSF) ______________________________________________ 79 KO Subdivision (BNSF) ____________________________________________________ 80 Mayville Subdivision (BNSF) ________________________________________________ 81 Rolla Subdivision (BNSF) ___________________________________________________ 82 vi Westhope Subdivision (BNSF) _______________________________________________ 83 Zap Subdivision (BNSF) ____________________________________________________ 84 Crosby Subdivision (BNSF) _________________________________________________ 85 Dickinson Subdivision (BNSF) _______________________________________________ 86 Glasgow Subdivision (BNSF) ________________________________________________ 87 Grenora Subdivision (BNSF) ________________________________________________ 88 Hettinger Subdivision (BNSF) _______________________________________________ 89 Portal Subdivision (CPR) ___________________________________________________ 90 New Town Subdivision (CPR) _______________________________________________ 91 Carrington Subdivision (CPR ________________________________________________ 92 Elbow Lake Subdivision & Veblen Subdivision (CPR) ___________________________ 93 Wallhalla and Glasston Lines (DNRR) ________________________________________ 94 Dakota Subdivision (DMVW) ________________________________________________ 95 Aberdeen Subdivision (DMVW) ______________________________________________ 96 Napoleon and Hazelton Subdivisions (DMVW) _________________________________ 97 Missouri Valley Subdivision (DMVW) ________________________________________ 98 Western Subdivision (DMVW) _______________________________________________ 99 Bisbee Subdivision (NPR) __________________________________________________ 100 Sarles – Lakota line: (NPR)_________________________________________________ 101 Devils Lake Subdivision (NPR) ______________________________________________ 102 Second Subdivision (RRVW) _______________________________________________ 103 Third Subdivision (RRVW) ________________________________________________ 104 Fourth Subdivision (RRVW) _______________________________________________ 105 Sixth Subdivision (RRVW) _________________________________________________ 106 Seventh Subdivision (RRVW) _______________________________________________ 107 Eighth Subdivision (RRVW) ________________________________________________ 108 Sidney Line (YVSR) _______________________________________________________ 109 APPENDIX D _______________________________________________________