Supporting Infrastructure for a High-Capacity Transload Facility
SRF was retained by NorthStar Transloading to deliver comprehensive planning and design services for a new transload facility located on a 400-acre site in western North Dakota. Designed to accommodate more than 3,400 daily vehicle trips—primarily trucks—and 24/7 operations, the facility integrates complex rail, roadway, and site systems to enable efficient freight movement and intermodal logistics.
SRF’s planning and design scope included:
Oil Infrastructure and Processing Facilities
- Crude oil truck unloading facility (650+ trucks/day)
- Crude oil pipeline and tank farm
- High-speed crude oil rail loading for two unit trains/day
Materials Handling and Transloading
- Sand and proppant loading/ unloading for rail and truck
- Rail/ truck transloading areas with warehouses and laydown yards
Site Operations and Transportation Planning
- 140,000 linear feet of rail design
- Internal and adjacent public roadway design
- Utility design: sewer, water, stormwater, and large-scale electrical
- Wayfinding system to manage vehicular flow
SRF also provided VISSIM 3D modeling—a simulation tool used to visualize and analyze complex traffic interactions—along with a detailed operations analysis of truck and train movements. This approach helped identify potential conflicts and optimize circulation patterns across the facility. The result is a high-performance, multimodal freight hub capable of efficiently handling both unit and manifest trains while streamlining logistics operations throughout the site.
Internal Category:
Land Development
More from:
Fargo, ND
Bismarck, ND
