bnsflogoTHUMBBISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – BNSF Railway says it plans to spend about $326 million this year on improving rail capacity and maintenance in North Dakota.
 
     The 2015 projects include construction of double track between Minot and Williston; installation of traffic control signaling operations near Devils Lake, Dickinson, Hillsboro and Jamestown; and extending siding between Mandan and Glendive, Montana.
 
     Company spokesman Tom Albanese says the work will help connect North Dakota products to key markets and improve Amtrak’s Empire Builder, which operates on the BNSF network.
 
     North Dakota producers say a backlog of railcars in the last year added to the costs for agriculture shippers.
 
     BNSF announced in November it would spend $6 billion in 2015 for capital improvements throughout the system. The railway operates in 28 states and three Canadian provinces.