The Northern Plains Commerce Centre finally has a long-awaited contract, which will allow rail transport of containers to and from the facility.

An exuberant Bismarck Mayor John Warford announced that negotiations had been finalized and a contract signed by BNSF Railways, making Vision Intermodal LLC the intermodal provider for the NPCC. BNSF designated Mallory Alexander International Logistics, the NPCC's operator, as a member of the Premier Transload network.

"The Premier Transload Network provides shippers access to rail facilities with loading and transport services throughout the nation," a press release from the NPCC said. "The completion of the rail yard will provide regional shippers with access to this network. The nearest Premier Transload centers are located in western Montana, eastern Minnesota and Nebraska."

Warford said that the contract with Vision and BNSF to provide intermodal service to NPCC is the final major piece in the equation for the facility. Mallory Alexander now has the information for rates and services it needs to better market the NPCC.

"To me this is the final major piece for the NPCC, and the key piece. Without it we wouldn't have intermodal," Warford said. "Up until this point, we couldn't say how much intermodal service would cost until this day."

The ability to ship containers via rail was an important part to the Bobcat facility, which is the foundation of the NPCC. Bobcat will be bringing parts in via container, assembling them and shipping them out in containers.

The contract calls for the NPCC to ship a minimum of 1,000 containers the first year, 2,000 the second year and 2,000 the third year.

"Vision is the actual contract holder with BNSF and will operate the ramp," Mallory Alexander representative Cathy Spencer said. "They will be the ones actually loading and unloading the trains. They'll do the interfacing with the railroad and steamboat lines to bring containers in here and ordering them to go back out. They'll provide the coordination for movement of containers to the eastern seaboard."

The intermodal contract is key for Bobcat, Spencer said

"Bobcat is the big driver for this, and we need their volume (of containers)," Spencer said. "It will be a fairly low volume to begin with; BNSF did make some concessions."

The mayor said he was told that NPCC is the first and only privately owned (by Bismarck) and publicly opened BNSF Premier Transload facility. Other facilities are restricted in use, while NPCC will be open to any and all shippers.

"It will still take some time before we see the first Bobcat containers come in," Warford said.

Bobcat is receiving freight on box and flat cars, and the city has approved a 300-foot extension of track that will allow for intermodal containers.

The city will be considering more construction at the NPCC, including a further rail extension, concrete loading area and administrative-storage building.

Expectations are that construction will be complete in later October or early November, allowing the NPCC to be fully operational.

Mallory Alexander's mission is to market the facility and increase freight volumes at the center, Spencer said. The company will be looking for NPCC tenants as well as coordinating efforts for all shippers national and international who want to use the facility.

"Mallory will work with the BMDA (Bismarck-Mandan Development Association) to go back out and talk to those interested in shipping about the NPCC feasibility study and freight solution it offers," Warford said. "It's a slow process, and it's going to take time."

The NPCC was developed by the Bismarck City Commission as an economic development asset to the region.

Warford commended BNSF for working with Bismarck in coming up with a solution that will help the entire state address rail freight access challenges.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@;bismarcktribune.com.)