NPRS expanding to Grand Forks

Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
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Gregg Haug leads Northern Plains Rail Services.

Northern Plains Rail Services (NPRS) is set to begin construction later this year on the Grand Plains Rail Center, a new railcar servicing and repair facility at Grand Forks, N. Dak. The facility will complement NPRS’s existing repair facility at Erskine, Minn., as well as its mobile car repair operations in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Saskatchewan and Alberta provinces in Canada.

The 283-acre Grand Plains Rail Center site “is strategically set on industrial-zoned lands near Interstate 29, features excellent road access, and is connected to BNSF Railway,” remarked NPRS Chairman Gregg F. Haug. “Based on the continued support of our valued customers, we will offer repair and cleaning services for a wide array of car types at Grand Forks, together with value-added activities such as storage and switching.”

“Our discussions with shippers from the agricultural and manufacturing sectors led us to the decision to make this strategic investment in the Grand Forks area” added Haug. “As a long-time operator in the region, we are proud to be re-affirming our commitment to local shippers by expanding our car repair capabilities at the Grand Plains Rail Center, which also features land for expansion.”

NPRS is working with long-time banking partner Alerus as well as the North Dakota Department of Transportation, through its Rail Loan program, to finance the project.

Northern Plains Rail Services, part of Northern Plains Rail Companies, provides a complete suite of rail services in seven upper Midwest states and across western Canada. Founded in 1997, its original company, Northern Plains Railroad, operates a 350-mile Class II railroad network across Minnesota and North Dakota interchanging with Canadian Pacific.

Rebuilt and repainted locomotives serve the Northern Plains Railroad . Photo by Eric Hylden

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