(The Associated Press distributed the following article on January 6.)
WASHINGTON — State officials and grain industry representatives have been meeting with officials of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad in Washington to talk about grain cars.
A shortage of hopper cars has forced elevators across the state to pile a record 18 million bushels of grain on the ground.
Yesterday’s meeting was requested by the state, in the hopes of easing that pileup.
Public Service Commissioner Tony Clark says officials got no guarantees that the crisis will be resolved quickly. He says the railroad did indicate it might be caught up by March.
Clark says the state is still at “loggerheads” with BNSF on ways to speed up solutions to the car shortage and other service problems facing elevators.