Canadian Pacific to buy DM&E Railroad for $1.48 million

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) _ Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. said late Tuesday that it will buy the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corp. and its subsidiaries for $1.48 billion cash, gaining access to the coal-rich Powder River Basin in Wyoming.

Canadian Pacific said in a news release that it will pay $1.48 billion in cash at closing and make future contingent payments of up to $1 billion depending on progress on a long-planned expansion project by the Sioux Falls-based DM&E to carry coal from Wyoming's Powder River Basin.
CP said the deal will expand its current network by approximately 2,500 miles and increases its access to Midwest markets for agricultural products, coal and ethanol.

"The DM&E is an excellent fit for Canadian Pacific making this a strategic end-to-end addition to our network," Fred Green, president and CEO of CP, said in the statement. "The DM&E is a high-quality, growing regional railroad that complements our existing franchise."

CP said it intends to spend an additional $300 million on further upgrades of the regional railroad over the next several years.

"Canadian Pacific is our natural partner and we are very pleased with this deal. The logic of this acquisition is compelling," Kevin Schieffer, president and CEO of the DM&E, said in the statement. "I'm proud of the DM&E and the organization we've built. ... CP is not only a natural operating fit; we also share a commitment to our employees, our customers and the communities we serve as well as a vision for the potential of the Powder River Basin."

It wasn't immediately clear precisely how the sale would affect the DM&E's $6 billion Powder River Basin project, which involves rebuilding 600 miles of track across South Dakota and Minnesota and adding 260 miles of track around the southern end of the Black Hills to the Wyoming coal fields. The rebuilt railroad would haul low-sulfur coal east to power plants.

The project has aroused strong opposition in some communities along the route, especially in Rochester, Minn., where the DM&E's tracks pass close to the Mayo Clinic.

The sale is expected to close in the next 30 to 60 days and is subject to review and approval by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board.

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