minnesota minnesota reporting mark class railroad subsidiary operating southern minnesota united_states portions railroad extend wyoming nebraska iowa began operations september spun chicago minnesota negotiations handled office senator legal counsel successful decade succeeded president railroad november purchased assets railroad renaming iowa chicago combined management duties ice holding company combined system directly connects chicago iowa kansas_city minneapolis paul continues far west smaller branches extend portions wisconsin wyoming nebraska september announced acquire approval announced approval purchase plan september merger completed official day operations october initial expansion early 1980s chicago announced plans abandon section railroad minnesota dated pressure customers senator deal reached announced april creating minnesota sections minnesota deal included buildings rolling stock locomotives rebuilt began operations track september railroad expanded acquired additional branch lines colony wyoming nebraska railroad year anniversary hauled nearly freight includes million grain celebrated anniversary employee appreciation events minnesota united_states president appointed attorney president november newcomer railroad involved worked prevent abandonment lines eventually formed sections mainline maintaining status quo fate mind railroad took plans expansion expansion plans announced plans expand wyoming start providing unit coal train service area railroad filed application expansion february built area chicago sought access project accomplished successor railroad tap coal deposits region expansion require construction miles new track upgrading miles existing track including railroad mainline track minnesota new mainline connections minnesota new rail yards plan largest new railroad construction united_states completion milwaukee road pacific extension seattle washington initial approval lawsuits approved application december year pending completion environmental impact statement released september analysis plan minnesota minnesota showed support customers freight expansion plan led complaints residents communities railroad right way communities welcomed railroad expansion plan opportunity increased business cities residents businesses felt roads area built deal traffic flow problems longer frequent unit trains produce grade crossings cited concerns general public safely quickly traversing communities ability emergency vehicles cross tracks reach emergency scenes hospitals city rochester minnesota filed lawsuit force railroad build bypass city bypass estimated cost million legal actions period public comment lasted march review final issued november final approval agreed new bypasses cities required cities rochester minnesota requested ruling ordered examine potential environmental issues rochester preliminary report released early noted additional steps needed railroad alleviate noise vibration caused projected increase train traffic court upheld approval new line environmental impact including projected increase frequency train horn line court ruling prepared supplemental environmental impact statement sets forth strategies railroad february announced final approval railroad application april awarded power eminent domain ruling overturned legislation passed years railroad announced intentions expand impaired railroad operations construction state decision legal process railroad effectively force landowners proposed new route sell land railroad funding final place approval authority undertake expansion proposed needed financing february rejected proposed billion loan announcing decision administrator noted project proposal met federal requirements loan cited concerns railroad able handle cost construction repay construction completed consolidation hauled nearly freight shipments fiscal year serving approximately customers railroad mainline shipments grains grain products clay cement wood lumber products remaining split types freight february announced purchase railroad assets mile rail link current owners renamed property iowa chicago began operating july purchase price stated original announcement article suggests industry sources believed total million combined management holding company locomotives railroads given unified paint scheme interchanges streamlined railroads administration railroads handled cedar processes railroads result combined system makes largest class railroad route miles united_states eighth largest system american railroads system direct rail connections class railroads north_america years operations railroad revenues increased million million million projected million operating ratio ratio operating expenses revenues declined projected improve traffic mix agricultural coal industrial products shipments projected exceed billion gallons acquisition september announced acquiring owners london based billion future payments billion contingent commencement construction extension specified volumes coal shipments basin transaction include ice affiliated companies merger end end consolidation lines presently interchange points including minnesota connection main line southern minnesota chicago main president called natural partner transaction natural fit acquisition access shipments agricultural products addition coal wyoming coal fields stated intention use purchase gain access ship coal eastern utilities transaction subject approval expected year analysts stated competing railroads coal challenge acquisition delay approval unlikely prevent approval received continue operate separate entity october announced completed financial transactions acquire placed voting trust appointed trustee trust remain effect issues decision acquisition plans integrate operations receives approval expected approval purchase october announced approval purchase plan september conditions agreed original plan effective date purchase october assumed control october plans invest million capital improvements lines recent developments december announced indefinitely placing hold plans building new day railroad announced intention sell entire west tracy minnesota roughly miles track january announced track west tracy minnesota sold subsidiary short line operator sale completed million eastern employees came subdivisions operated subdivisions divisions located minnesota iowa nebraska minnesota subdivision minnesota iowa tracy subdivision tracy minnesota subdivision tracy minnesota south yale spur subdivision subdivision south subdivision south subdivision blunt south subdivision south black hills subdivision colony nebraska rolling stock originally purchased generation locomotives variety railroads early years common locomotive milwaukee road chicago paint scheme paint scheme years locomotives paint scheme closely mirrored sister iowa chicago blue yellow stripe length eventually assigns names locomotives usually locations right way exceptions named people like road number named senator generation diesel locomotives purchased chicago milwaukee road replaced recent locomotives newer locomotives bought railroad year anniversary owned locomotives leased total locomotives railroad tenth anniversary owned locomotives owned leased cars including covered grain cement shipments number locomotives owned stayed number cars increased dedicated grain service company officers men serve president railroad began railroad career eventually working chicago early 1980s formed new railroad president served counsel senator starting began working business worked prevent abandonment branch lines eventually form beginnings initiated negotiations led creation promoted chief staff senator position held united_states president appointed attorney left attorney post legal counsel legal counsel railroad oversaw railroad acquisition colony line held position unanimously elected president railroad november left october shortly approved proposed purchase railroad named manage railroad completed acquisition october appointed president november
Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad