Train traffic increases

SANDERS COUNTY – Recently the communities of Sanders County have seen a variety of different train loads coming through the area, leaving some questions unanswered. Where are these trains going and what products are they carrying?

The Montana Rail Link stretches over 900 miles of the country and runs through the heart of Sanders County. The railroad has served as a main artery for the communities and without its creation, many of the towns would not have the vibrant railroad history they have today.

According to Lynda Frost, public information officer for MRL, the numbers of trains coming through the area has increased as of recently. In 2013, MRL averaged 16.8 trains a day. Through April of 2014, MRL has been averaging 19.3 trains a day, an increase of almost 15 percent.

Over half of the growth comes from grain shipments, which travel from the Midwest to the West Coast, Frost said. The increase in grain shipments was credited to a record corn crop in 2013 and winter shipment delays.

Many have noticed what seems to be an increase in trains transporting coal throughout the area. The coal shipments are destined to domestic power plants and also to Roberts Bank, British Columbia. Frost said the export destinations vary.

The 2013 numbers saw an increase of almost 11 percent and averaged on a daily basis of 2.8 loaded coal trains and 2.8 empty coal trains. In 2012, the number averaged 2.5 loaded and 2.5 empty coal trains a day, Frost said.

The coal originates at two mines one of which is located in the Powder River Basin, which is a structural formation of rock strata in southeast Montana, and northeast Wyoming. The geological basin spans approximately 120 miles east to west and 200 miles north to south. The area is known well for its coal deposits and accounts for 40 percent of the coal in the United States.

The coal is also coming from the Signal Peak Energy coal mine in Roundup, Mont. The mine is Montana’s only underground coal mine. In 2012, the Montana Land Board approved a 10-year lease on the land, which contains nearly 12 million tons of coal. The approval allowed the mine to expand in both Yellowstone and Musselshell counties.

According to MRL’s website, an increase of coal transportation could be seen in years to come.

“Potential future volume is determined by capacity,” states the website. “Studies indicate that, with significant infrastructure investment, capacity could increase by an additional eight loaded and eight empty trains a day.”

This increased volume is not only limited to coal, states the website.

“Due to population growth, increased consumption, driver shortages, and rising diesel costs; more freight will likely be moved by rail,” states the website.

Residents have also seen a lot of aircraft bodies traveling through the area, many of them green in color. These aircraft fuselages or bodies are manufactured in Kansas and are then shipped to finishing plants in Washington.

Frost said they were unable to comment on what company these are shipped to because they are unable to discuss specific customers. However, Washington is the home of The Boeing Company, the world’s largest aerospace company and the leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined.

Another product of interest spotted as of late were green and yellow combines, a machine which is used to harvest grain crops. These are being shipped to the West Coast for export from manufacturing plants in the Midwest, Frost sated.

MRL has 96 locomotives, 1,300 freight cars and averages a total of almost 365,000 total carloads of freight or goods, with a total gross tonnage of 49.7 million.

The trains are a very familiar sight in Sanders County and appear to be increasing in volume. The tracks have brought life to many of the surrounding areas and are continually put to use.