BNSF Railway officials and local leaders celebrated on Thursday afternoon the railroad's opening of a new car shop and two 9,200-foot inspection tracks at Gavin Yard, east of Minot.
The car shop and inspection tracks are a $30 million investment for BNSF in expanding the railroad's infrastructure to serve the growing freight volumes in North Dakota and along BNSF's Great Northern Corridor.
"This is the first new facility we've built on our entire system in a long time. It just goes to show how much activity and how much potential there is in this part of the world," said Roger Nober, BNSF executive vice president from Fort Worth, Texas, where BNSF has its headquarters.
Nober said BNSF expects activity in this area will ramp up even more than it is now.
"We've hired 32 people here in the last few years just to work on fixing cars as well as 150 people in Minot in the last two years. We are expecting things to continue to grow. Not only that, but this is a state-of-the art facility so we have some equipment here that we only have in one or two other places in the whole system," Nober said.
He said before the car work was done outdoors. "The problem was people would have to come and try to work to fix cars, change out wheels in the harsh conditions that you can have here," he said. Besides giving people a place to work inside, he said they will be much more productive with the new equipment because of all the activity in this area.
"It's great to see all the activity that's up here," Nober said, adding, "We're real pleased about our investment here."
Gov. Jack Dalrymple, Minot Mayor Curt Zimbelman and other BNSF officials spoke of the good partnership with Minot and BNSF and that this is only the beginning of much more to come in the future.
The 24,500-square-foot car shop houses all of BNSF's about mechanical employees, about 40, who will use the facility to repair rail cars indoors, BNSF officials said.
Amy McBeth, Minneapolis, BNSF public relations director for this region, said the new inspection tracks completed at Gavin Yard allow BNSF to inspect an additional six to eight trains every 24 hours.
"In terms of numbers for Minot, we average about 33 trains operating through Minot in a 24-hour period," she said.
"Additionally, nine switch engines work at Gavin Yard serving local customers and building trains for their destinations," McBeth said. She said the 33 figure includes an average of two unit crude oil trains through Minot per day (one empty and one load).
BNSF has increased its workforce in Minot.
"In Minot today, BNSF employs approximately 330 people. Statewide, BNSF employs almost 1,200 people. In 2011, we hired 90 new employees in Minot and we expect to continue hiring this year based on current projections," McBeth said.
The new hires in Minot are mechanical employees who will report to the completed car shop, according to BNSF information.
"Filling the positions we have available in Minot continues to be a challenge," McBeth said. "These are good paying jobs in the community and we will continue our efforts to fill these positions. The hiring is a result of a retiring workforce and returning business following the downturn in the economy.
