Red River Valley & Western logs millionth carload

On June 22, the Red River Valley & Western Railroad Co. (RRV&W) moved its 1 millionth carload since it began operations on July 19, 1987.

The celebratory shipment involved 110 tons of corn destined for the Port of Seattle. Since its start up, the 577-mile regional has tripled annual carloads to 60,000, the mark achieved last year.

Grain accounts for more than half of RRV&W's  traffic, while other principal commodities include corn sweetener, sugar, ethanol, corn feed by-products and fertilizers.

"This is a major milestone for our company. We'd like to extend a big thank you to our customers, employees, connecting carriers, local and state officials, and friends who helped make this possible," said RRV&W President Andrew Thompson in a press release.

The regional operates lines in North Dakota and Minnesota, and interchanges with BNSF Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific.