PIERRE, S.D. – It could be early June before freight service is fully restored on the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad east of Pierre, S.D. Heavy rains last week led to multiple washouts, including two severe washouts, on the Genesee & Wyoming-owned property in central South Dakota.
G&W spokesman Michael Williams tells News Wire that railroad crews and contractors are on site to repair the railroad’s right-of-way as water levels recede.
“At this point, we are hopeful to have the line back in service June 3,” Williams says.
He says alternative routing is available through Crawford and Chadron, Neb., via BNSF Railway for freight customers who require shipments to get out before the main line is returned to service.
The RP&E is a 739-mile railroad extending from eastern Wyoming and northwestern Nebraska, through much of central South Dakota and western Minnesota. Its main business includes grains and fertilizers, ethanol, cement, and bentonite clay.
