DEVILS LAKE, N.D. — BNSF Railway still plans to allow faster train speeds on a section of track in Devils Lake, after hearing city officials' concerns about safety.
City officials say they might look to state and federal lawmakers for help.
BNSF is planning to double the current 30 mph limit on a nearly 1 ½-mile-long section of upgraded track in the northeastern North Dakota city of about 7,300 people, beginning Friday.
"At 60 mph a freight train, any train, could be on you pretty quick," Mayor Dick Johnson told KZZY. "It just takes away any safety margin that there might be, and it's just not acceptable to us."
City and railroad officials met on Monday but didn't resolve the matter. Railroad spokeswoman Amy McBeth said the section of track is rated for the higher speed and that "it does not mean that all trains will be operating at that maximum allowed speed."
The city will seek help from the governor's office and the state's congressional delegation if the railroad goes ahead with the plan, Johnson said.
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