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6/7/2024
Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad (RCP&E), a Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) property, on June 1 marked 10 years since the railroad began operations.
Celebratory events for the railroad’s nearly 200 employees, 50 customers, and local and state government officials were held at rail yards in Rapid City and Pierre, South Dakota, and Huron, Minnesota, according to a RCP&E news release.
"When our crews started up operations in June 2014, they were facing a tremendous backlog of grain from the 2013 harvest and what looked to be a record-breaking wheat harvest for 2014 — one that exceeded the capacity of grain elevators across the entire state of South Dakota," said RCP&E General Manager Ryan Englebright. "But our employees rose to that initial test and set expectations — not only for South Dakota farmers but for a range of industries across the state — that [the railroad] could deliver safe and efficient freight-rail service.”
Among the accomplishments cited at the anniversary events:
• The railroad has completed three of the past 10 years injury-free;• The railroad's customers have invested billions of dollars to locate, expand or relocate along RCP&E’s line;• RCP&E has invested more than $100 million to upgrade infrastructure and equipment;• The railroad has replaced 100-year-old rail for the line east of Wall, South Dakota; has maintained or upgraded hundreds of bridges and trestles; and has doubled capacity by building three additional sidings across the line.
At more than 700 miles, RCP&E runs from Colony, Wyoming, to Mankato, Minnesota, with branches from Rapid City to Crawford, Nebraska, and from Wolsey to Aberdeen, South Dakota. RCP&E was established by G&W in 2014 and is the company’s largest subsidiary railroad to date.