The North Dakota Department of Transportation has begun the process to update the state rail plan.
It’s done every 5 to 10 years.
Three public meetings were held this week – in Fargo, Minot and Bismarck.
The DOT’s Ben Ehreth says one common theme from the meetings is communication – from the railroads to local officials.
"Local jurisdictions tend to have concerns about the speed of trains moving through communities, the type of hazardous material being moved through the communities, and some of the impacts to the communities, in terms of blocked crossings," said Ehreth.
Ehreth says another concern he’s heard from local officials – and members of the public – is the amount of oil transported by rail.
"We're getting more interstate pipelines, developed to carry some of that product to other destinations," Ehreth said. "We recognize that crude oil moving by rail will always play some role. But we think that role will start to diminish as some of those interstate pipelines get developed."
Ehreth also says both BNSF and CP Rail have worked to upgrade their systems, to make them safer.
