Reporting mark RCPE Website Official website Headquarters Rapid City | Dates of operation 2014 (2014)–Present Founded 2014 | |
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Track gauge 4 ft 8 ⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Locale Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming | ||
Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad (reporting mark RCPE) is a Class II railroad operating across South Dakota and southern Minnesota in the northern plains of the United States. Portions of the railroad also extend into Wyoming, and Nebraska. It is owned and operated by Genesee & Wyoming.
Contents
History
The Genesee & Wyoming, a holding company of mostly short line railroads, formed the Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern to acquire the western end of the former Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad (DM&E) rail line from the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). The acquisition was completed on May 30, 2014 for $210 million. Most of its employees came over from the DM&E.
Route
The Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern owns 670 miles (1,078 km) of track. The main line runs between Tracy, Minnesota and Rapid City, South Dakota with branches north to Colony, Wyoming and south to Dakota Junction, Nebraska. There are three short branches as well:
The RCPE also has trackage rights over the BNSF Railway between Yale and Watertown, South Dakota and Wolsey, South Dakota and Aberdeen, South Dakota.
Operations
Customers on the line ship approximately 64,000 carloads annually of grain, bentonite clay, ethanol, fertilizer and other products.
