G&W’s Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern celebrates its 10th anniversary

RAPID CITY, S.D. — Genesee & Wyoming regional Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad commemorated its 10th anniversary with celebrations at the 743-mile railroad’s yards in Rapid City, Pierre, and Huron this week.

“When our crews started up operations in June 2014, they were facing a tremendous backlog of grain from the 2013 harvest and what looked to be a record-breaking wheat harvest for 2014 — one that exceeded the capacity of grain elevators across the entire state of South Dakota,” RCPE General Manager Ryan Englebright said. “But our employees rose to that initial test and set expectations — not only for South Dakota farmers but for a range of industries across the state — that RCPE could deliver safe and efficient freight-rail service.”

The railroad’s nearly 200 employees, 50 customers, and state and local government officials attended the ceremonies.

The railroad has completed three of the past 10 years injury-free, which G&W said was a noteworthy accomplishment given RCPE’s annual volumes and the distances its crews travel.

In its 2023 customer survey, RCPE was awarded an 8.9 out of 10 for its customer service. Customers have also invested billions of dollars to locate, expand, or relocate along RCPE’s line, which G&W official said was a testament to their confidence in the railroad’s ability to serve as a key transportation provider in their supply chain.

With support from South Dakota and the U.S. Department of Transportation, RCPE has invested more than $100 million to upgrade infrastructure and equipment over the past decade. The railroad has replaced 100-year-old rail for the line east of Wall, S.D.; has upgraded hundreds of bridges and trestles; and has doubled capacity by building three additional sidings on the main line.

In addition, nearly 70 employees were recognized for having been with RCPE since its first day of operation.

“We thank our employees, our customers, our partners at the state and federal level, and our community members for being a part of our story,” Englebright said. “With more investments for the long-term planned in the decade ahead, the future looks bright at RCPE.”

The RCPE — the largest of G&W’s 110 railroads — is former Chicago & North Western trackage that stretches from Colony, Wyo., to Mankato, Minn., with branches from Rapid City to Crawford, Neb., and from Wolsey to Aberdeen, S.D. The railroad interchanges with BNSF, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, and Union Pacific. Its commodity base includes agricultural products, aggregates, and energy products.

G&W acquired the western end of the former Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern in a $210 million deal with Canadian Pacific. CP had acquired the DM&E in 2008 as part of a plan to build into the Powder River Basin coal fields. CP officially dropped its Powder River ambitions in 2012.