Cargill Rail Yard Project FAQ
Cargill is committed to operating responsibly and transparently. At the heart of our business is the community we serve. Below are some categories of frequently asked questions we've received as well as our responses.
Site Selection FAQ
Did you consider locations other than the Stewart Road location?
When looking for a location, we explored multiple options close to the facility.
Four of the properties were not feasible due to challenges posed by insufficient space, changes in elevation, topography layout and entrance/ exit safety issues.
One location did not meet Union Pacific railroad property access guidelines.
Two locations had more favorable attributes to support this project. Given the outcome of the August 27, 2019 City Council meeting, the location for the proposed rail yard is the Stewart Road property, currently (as of 2019) owned by the City of Cedar Rapids.
Why can’t you build on the vacant, Cargill-owned property next to the facility?
The vacant, Cargill-owned property next to the facility does not provide enough space to accommodate a rail yard that would hold the number of rail cars we currently store. For what we know is available for purchase today to expand beyond our vacant property, the layout, size, underground utilities, and topography would still not accommodate our needs for this rail yard operation.
Why does Cargill need to own its own rail yard when it’s been storing its freight cars at a UP location all this time?
Rail service is a critical part of our business. On a daily basis we are loading on average less than 25 rail cars. When the rail cars are not in use, we store them at the Union Pacific location in the North Yard located near Cedar Lake. These rail cars currently pass through downtown on a daily basis.
Building our own rail yard was a strategic business decision to keep us competitive in the marketplace, which helps ensure that Cargill can continue to be a vibrant part of the Cedar Rapids community. After assessing the significant cost associated with parking our rail cars at another location and the efficiencies we could gain by storing them closer, we decided it was best to build a rail yard ourselves. In doing so, the City also benefits from less rail car traffic through the downtown area.
The new rail yard would put us in a position to operate more efficiently and cost effectively, which in turn allows for us to be more competitive in the market and a vibrant part of the community.
What modifications has Cargill included to mitigate disruption for residents near the proposed location? And, why, in Cargill’s view would this not be inconvenient for neighbors?
Our goal is, and continues to be, to design and operate this rail yard project with the safety of the public and employees in mind. We also want to design it in a way that has the least impact as possible on the location and the area surrounding it. We have worked — and will continue to work — closely with City officials and those within the vicinity of the proposed location to achieve this.
The planned design and operation include/take into consideration the following:
- We constructed a berm that is fifteen feet high to reduce noise and visual impact to the neighborhood. Additionally native trees and shrubs were planted on the berm and in the rail yard property to improve aesthetics.
- Communication between rail yard employees would be handled via two-way radios to reduce noise generated in the area.
- Trips between the plant and the rail yard will have a locomotive in the lead to maximize visibility while crossing road crossings.
- Large “stadium style” lights have been removed from the facility design. The only lights that are on at night will be around the building as security lights. These will resemble residential lights on houses/garages.
- We have no plans to build a maintenance facility, but will be conducting light maintenance work to ensure the cars are safe/compliant.
What if neighbors are unhappy about the location that is selected?
Our goal is, and continues to be, to design this rail yard project in a way that has the least impact as possible on the location and the area surrounding it, while providing a safe working environment for our employees stationed there. We have worked — and will continue to work — closely with those within the vicinity of the proposed location and the City to achieve this.
Since purchasing the land we have had three meetings to discuss plans for design and construction of the rail yard. In addition we will conduct one more meeting after the rail yard has been operating for a few months.
Will you be buying any additional property other than those for the actual rail yard?
Any additional land purchases will be made on a case-by-case basis. There is no intent to expand the rail yard beyond its current boundaries. In fact the northern portion of the rail yard is in a “conservation easement” which prohibits developing that portion of the property.
Are you concerned about what the rail yard will do to the value of the properties adjacent to the proposed location?
An independent third-party appraiser performed an assessment and determined that the rail yard will have minimal effect on the property values of adjacent properties.
Operations FAQ
How many rail cars are expected to be stored at that facility? How many locomotives a day will pull into or out of that rail yard?
The Cargill corn milling plant currently handles on average less than twenty-five rail cars per day through the plant.
The rail yard is being designed to hold approximately two-hundred freight cars and one primary engine, with a back-up if needed. Most of the cars stored at the yard will be empty freight cars waiting to be loaded and shipped.
The primary engine, which is built with leading-edge engine technology and known to have the highest EPA rate for emission reductions, will be used in the rail yard only during the switching of freight cars. As with all our locomotive operations, we will follow EPA regulations on diesel locomotives.
We estimate 4-6 trips daily between the rail yard and the plant.
We have no plans to store cars for any company other than Cargill.
Will the facility be used ONLY for storage? Will any other operations take place there, including transfer of product from or to rail cars, rail car maintenance, or any other industrial activity beyond simply pulling trains into and out of the yard?
We will accommodate transloading of product from rail to truck at the facility, thus eliminating the need for semi-trucks to do this at the rail yard.
We have no plans to build a maintenance facility but will be conducting light maintenance work to ensure the cars are safe/compliant.
Noise & Light FAQ
Will loudspeakers be installed on the property for staff to communicate with workers? If so, how often will they be used? Do the trains themselves have loudspeakers or audio signaling that will be used inside the yard?
No loudspeakers will be installed on the property.
Horns will be used in the yard only in the event of an emergency.
Communication between rail yard employees would be handled via two-way radios.
Will the train yard noise would violate the City’s noise ordinance?
We constructed a berm that is fifteen feet high to reduce noise and visual impact to the neighborhood. Additionally native trees and shrubs were planted on the berm and in the rail yard property to improve aesthetics.
Studies have been completed; proposed rail yard designs will mitigate the sound leaving the rail yard and ensure the rail yard fully complies with City of Cedar Rapids’ ordinances.
Communication between rail yard employees will be handled via two-way radios to reduce noise generated in the area.
Cargill has also committed up to $400,000 to the City’s efforts to turn the rail crossing by the Prairie Park Fishery entrance into a “quiet zone”, which means that train horns will not be used at the rail crossing, other than in an emergency situation. The crossing would be upgraded to include other safety measures, such as additional gates, signals or road markings.
Will there be any lighting that could be considered intrusive to those near the selected location?
No. Large “stadium style” lights have been removed from the facility design. The only lights that are on at night will be around the building as security lights. These will resemble residential lights on houses/garages.
Environmental Impact FAQ
What levels of diesel particulates and other emissions does Cargill anticipate will occur from activity at the proposed rail yard? Is Cargill planning to reduce or eliminate those emissions at the selected location?
One of Cargill’s main areas of focus is protecting the planet. As a member of the community with employees who live and work in Cedar Rapids, environmental stewardship is of utmost importance to us regarding this proposed project. Cargill dedicated resources and experts to complete a modeling exercise to determine any environmental impacts and particulates as a result of this project and found that emissions caused no modeling impacts. For the locomotive operations, we will follow EPA regulations on diesel locomotives for switching operations.
Cargill’s rail yard will be a place to store freight cars, not engines. The one primary engine that will be used to move the freight cars is built with leading-edge engine technology and known to have the highest EPA rate for emission reductions. It will be used in the rail yard only during the switching of freight cars. As with all our locomotive operations, we will follow EPA regulations on diesel locomotives.
In addition, Cargill is dedicating resources and experts to determine any environmental impacts and particulates as a result of this project.
Will Cargill try to keep parts of the proposed properties in their natural habitat?
Habitat restoration is important to Cargill. We’ve worked on other prairie/wetland restoration projects as well as many other habitat projects. As we worked through the design of this rail yard, we tried to maximize the area that is planted and minimize the area that is built upon.
As part of this project Cargill sold 23.4 acres of property (the “farm parcel”) to the City of Cedar Rapids for $1 to build a new pollinator habitat. Cargill paid the city $100,000 to plant and maintain the new pollinator habitat. In addition Cargill paid the city $32,000 to reimburse the REAP grant that paid for the original pollinator planting performed on the Stewart Road property.
Isn’t the proposed Stewart Road rail yard location a protected wetland and restricted from being built upon?
This particular parcel of land is not a designated protected wetland. A “Wetland Determination Report” was completed by an environmental engineering firm. In their report they “did not observe wetlands in accordance to the Section 404 of the Clean Water Act or Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act”.
Will the raised rail bed increase the risks of flooding by forcing more water into the neighborhood?
We will follow all flood-related ordinances, rules, and laws when building on the site. The property is outside of both FEMA’s “regulatory floodway” and the 100-year flood zone.
That said, we have had drainage though the neighborhood studied and have concluded that the design of the proposed rail yard with raised rails will not increase the flooding potential for the neighborhood. Some areas in the rail yard have been raised while many areas were actually lowered to build a stormwater detention pond and the stormwater ditch system. There is a net INCREASE of storage volume below the elevation of the 100-year flood high water level. This storage volume is increased by 121%. Even with the rail bed and berm factored in there is a net INCREASE of 9% water storage volume when compared to the 500-year flood.
How will stormwater be managed if the proposed Stewart Road location is approved?
The topographical survey showed the current drainage areas/paths, paths from the neighborhood through the Stewart Road parcel. The existing drainage was taken into account during civil design of the rail yard. There are engineering codes, guidelines, and best practices that govern stormwater design and these were adhered to.
We will follow all flood-related ordinances, rules, and laws when building on the site.
Safety FAQ
What specific measures does Cargill plan to undertake to reasonably insure that their rail yard is never breached?
Our rail yard will be surrounded with a security fence similar to our other facilities. This fence will be designed and erected following standards established by Cargill’s Global Security group. It will be designed to keep out trespassers as well as curious citizens.
What measures will be taken to insure that residents have a dedicated contact in the event of problems?
As a plant that is running 24/7/365 we are constantly staffed to handle issues and emergencies as they arise. We have plans in place to allow us to escalate issues as appropriate to more personnel and/or higher-level personnel.
What will be stored in the rail cars?
Our main products from this plant are corn sweeteners, corn starch and animal feed products. Products from this facility are used by our customers in candy, jelly, ice cream, frozen foods, paper, pet food, etc. None of these products are hazardous, and we will not store DOT hazardous materials railcars in this rail yard.
Has Cargill ever built a rail yard in a residential neighborhood before?
Yes. Across the U.S., Cargill's operations co-exist with neighborhoods that, in many cases, have been built around our facilities. Rail transportation is critical to our ability to deliver products to customers in an efficient and cost-effective manner.