For the past several months, a shortage of crews, locomotives, and train cars has created problems for railroad companies and the people they serve. But the Director of the South Dakota State Railroad Museum says there are still bright spots in the state. Rick Mills says the system isn’t perfect yet, but things are improving.
“This past summer was very difficult for a lot of our shippers,” Mills says. “But the new railroad, the Rapid City Pierre and Eastern, it’s making significant strides as far as moving product all the way across the state. The BNSF, with the help of the congressional delegations prodding on different things going on with them, they were able to make some changes.”
Mills says during the recession railroads got rid of older cars and locomotives, which left them unprepared for growth. He says there’s been a lot of movement in the industry over the last few years, which has changed the way railroads operate in South Dakota.