Developments abound for rail-served facilities in three states

Global energy and industrial firm Schlumberger has announced plans to build a $20 million facility for its artificial lift business on an 18-acre site in the Great Western Industrial Park in Windsor, Colo.

To be completed in spring 2015, the 14,800-square-foot facility will be used to distribute tools and machinery to help capture oil and gas from under-pressured or depleted reservoirs.

In August 2013, Schlumberger acquired Shores Lift Solutions, which produces rod pumps, gas lifts, plunger lifts, electrical submersible pumps and jet pumps that are used in oil field applications.

"Schlumberger brings international energy development attention to the region and the Great Western Industrial Park, where they are joining other oil and gas industry leaders like Halliburton and Musket Corp.," said Rich Montgomery, the park's senior vice president of industrial development, in a press release.

Developed by The Broe Group — which owns OmniTRAX Inc. — the park is served by the Great Western Railway of Colorado L.L.C.

Meanwhile, Landmark Services Cooperative has opened a rail facility in Fall River, Wis., to help farmers market grain more quickly and efficiently.

Served by Canadian Pacific, the $6.6 million, 188-acre facility can store up to 4.65 million bushels of grain. New technologies and a customized layout incorporated into the facility will enable grain haulers to enter and exit in less than 10 minutes, Landmark officials said in a press release. The facility can receive about 40 trucks per hour and load 100 to 110 rail cars in eight hours or less.

"The Fall River Rail Terminal is a game-changer in the industry," said Landmark Chief Executive Officer Bob Carlson. "It is built to perform to be efficient and provide benefits in speed, space and markets to Midwest grain growers."

Providing farmers access to rail opens new markets for Landmark, said Vice President of Grain Doug Cropp.

"About 360,000 bushels of corn can be transported each day through the rail system," he said.

In New York, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to swiftly approve a permit to enable American Rock Salt Co. L.L.C. (ARS) to build a 1,500-foot rail extension in Mt. Morris.

With the extension, ARS could mine more rock salt each day and load it into 100-car trains, boosting rail output by more than 40 percent, Schumer said in a press release. However, if the Corps doesn't issue a permit for construction by September's end, the window for project construction will close, he said. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has already approved ARS’s plan.
 
During the harsh winter, many New York municipalities depleted their rock salt reserves and turned to ARS to help provide resupplies, said Schumer. Without the ability to ship more salt by rail, ARS was forced to ship rock salt by trucks, which are less efficient, create more pollution and congestion, and are often delayed by bad weather, he said.

"On the heels of last winter's long polar vortex, I am urging the Army Corps to swiftly approve this permit so that American Rock Salt can being construction on this rail line extension that can boost output of de-icing rock salt at their mine," said Schumer.