BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — U.S. Sens. Kent Conrad and John Hoeven says BNSF Railway and Amtrak each have pledged to pay one-third of the cost of saving track threatened by flooding in northeast North Dakota.
The senators say the state’s congressional delegation will continue working with Gov. Jack Dalrymple to secure the remaining funding through the federal government. They say the total cost of needed upgrades in the Devils Lake region is more than $97 million.
The threatened track has resulted in disruptions to Amtrak’s Empire Builder line between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest. State and federal officials met with railroad officials on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., to talk about the situation.
