The Federal Railroad Administration approved technology on Monday that could save farms and businesses loads of money to ship their products on trucks and trains without the need for expensive intermodal infrastructure.

The technology developed by Georgia-based RailRunner allows sealed containers to be transferred from truck to train and vice versa without the use of a crane or a multi-million dollar intermodal facility.

Charles Foskett, CEO of RailRunner, said the company is aggressively pursuing Minot as a market, but also would consider other locations in North Dakota.

"We would be open to expand to Bismarck if people were interested and if the volume was there," Foskett said.

Foskett wasn't sure how the technology would fit in with Bismarck's plans to build the Northern Plains Commerce Centre, a transloading facility that will utilize trucks, trains and airplanes to transform Bismarck into a shipping terminal.

Bismarck officials could not be immediately reached for comment on Monday.

RailRunner has patented a railcar and chassis system that allows containers to be transferred from truck to a train and vice versa, in less than three minutes, Foskett said.

The technology has been used from Fort Wayne, Ind., to Jacksonville, Fla., since August.

The FRA gave RailRunner temporary authorization for the technology until Monday, when the company was granted a five-year waiver for the Fort Wayne-Jacksonville run. The waiver also allows the technology to be used in other markets, according to a news release from RailRunner.

Foskett's intention is to run a 125-car train from Minot to Minneapolis filled with identity-preserved agricultural products. The containers wouldn't come back fully loaded, but they could return with some manufacturing equipment.

Jay Fisher, director of the North Central Research Extension Center in Minot, is cautious about saying too much about the chances for the facility, but he is optimistic.

"We are very close to having this become reality," Fisher said.

If the idea works, Fisher said several towns could act as feeders to increase the volume of containers filled with agricultural products.

"To get the volume, who knows what towns and regions we will be working with in the future," Fisher said.

The biggest hurdle to getting the system running is permission and cooperation with railroads.

"The railroad allowing access is just a huge thing," said Mark Berwick, a researcher at the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute in Fargo.

Berwick said railroad labor unions and the complexities of train switching are some of the factors railroads would consider before signing on to the plan.

Foskett said he has been discussing the opportunity with BNSF Railway and he is confident BNSF will sign on to the idea.

Gus Melonas, a spokesman for BNSF, said BNSF is not involved in any projects and has no details about RailRunner.

Talks with Canadian Pacific Railway have not been successful, Foskett said.

The system would benefit BNSF, according to Foskett, because the railroad would gain more business.

Under RailRunner's business plan, the company would lease a locomotive from BNSF that's staffed with BNSF workers, to haul the containers.

The containers would be shipped to Minneapolis and loaded onto other trains that would take them to the east and west coasts.

A local business would oversee the operation in Minot and would be a franchisee of RailRunner.

An advantage to farmers would be that containers always would be available because they would be owned by the local franchisee.

Foskett didn't know what the timeline would be, but he said BNSF told him they wouldn't start in the winter.

"We're waiting for BNSF to say 'go,' " Foskett said.