FARGO, N.D. — The oil boom in western North Dakota is changing the economics of railroad shipping containers, potentially benefitting agricultural shippers who want to send their products west through the Pacific Northwest port, or even to the east.
Rates for containers out of Minot have come down considerably in the past two months.
Containers are loaded by North Dakota Port Services Inc., a privately owned, intermodal service in Minot, serving customers in a 250-mile radius. The intermodal facility, opened in July, is serviced by BNSF’s Northern Tier Intermodal line and is adjacent to BNSF’s main-line switch yard with daily service and four-lane highway access. It is one of two privately owned facilities of its type in the valley.
The full story appears on the Grand Forks Herald website.