Railroads

The early white settlers in North Dakota tended to cluster around the Army forts located along the Red, James, Sheyenne, and Missouri Rivers. The rivers allowed for easier delivery of supplies, since overland transportation was slow and difficult. That changed for Dakota Territory when the railroads arrived in the early 1870s. New settlers, and supplies to support the growing economy, could now arrive quickly and conveniently.

In 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad was completed with the driving of the Golden Spike. The railroad ran from Omaha in Nebraska Territory to Sacramento in California. It was the first means of mass transportation to cross the country. And as the first, the Transcontinental Railroad overshadowed the later Northern Pacific. The Northern Pacific, however, has its own inspiring story. It also reached the far west, but had to overcome financial challenges to do it without government loans.

No matter how mighty your locomotive is, it will need a bridge to cross a river. As a result, there are hundreds of railroad bridges scattered across the state of North Dakota. One very significant bridge is the High Line Bridge near Valley City.

Sen. Tracy Potter (D-Bismarck) wants to know who owns that bridge.

When the Legislature passed the budget bill for the North Dakota Public Service Commission, it did not make the commission’s rail safety program…

North Dakota’s Commerce Commissioner believes North Dakota needs an intermodal transportation site.“Intermodal transportation” means freight is loaded…

The House has rejected the Public Service Commission’s proposal to start inspecting railroads – and to beef up its pipeline inspection program.Gov. Jack…

A series of dramatic accidents has brought attention to the hazards of shipping crude oil by rail. Wednesday the federal Department of Transportation…

The executive chairman of the BNSF Railway says the company is making commitments to make its track safer -- in the wake of the oil train derailment at…

The North Dakota Safety Council has noticed an increased amount of trespassing incidents throughout the state.Serena Schmidt is the Home and Community…