The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-02-27
RAILROAD COMMISSION GIVES CITY
SWEEPING VICTORY IN HIGH Line
CASE DECISION JUST ANNOUNCED
Verdict Gives Valley City New Depot for Down
Town with Trains Nos. ; and 4 to Run
THROUGH the City--verdiCt Unanimous.

was no escape stFOm the conclusion
that the citizens as whole are unan-
imous upon the question as to what
their needs are. The people of Valley
City do not wish to have divided ser.
vice such as has been given them for
some years past, nor do they wish,
not will they be satisfied with, the
entire service upon the high line in
the absence of some definite under
standing and agreement as to what
sort of transportation facilities to the
high line depot will be furnished
them. They are only content with
the present divided service because
they fear that an undivided service
down town would not secure them as
many trains in and out as they now
enjoy.
The commission has given careful
consideration Of the question of the
adequacy of the train service to which
Valley City is entitled as compared
with other cities of it's own size and
importance within this state and else
where, and is convinced that the
present low line service is made
quate, and that it is entitled to a SER
vice which would be equivalent to
that service furnished if the present
trains Nos. and 4 are stopped at
the low line depot, in addition to the
present down town service. The
comparative tables furnished the COM
mission by counsel show other sta.
tons with larger passenger receipts
but no better service, but some of the
towns have branch lines running out
so that it would be impossible to de.
termine whether all of the passen-
ger service should be credited to the
main line trains serving these towns,
or the towns themselves have some
especial claim for Increases train SER
vice. The commission feels that the
fact that Valley City has a Normal
school, large state institution with
800 pupils coming and going to and
from all parts of the state at all
times of the year, gives it greater
importance from transportation
point of view than some little city
which has only its local commercial
interests and agricultural surround
ings to support it.
The determinative question is not
how many trains, but how good, and
the character of the trains themselves
is matter of prime importance.
While it is true that there are three
trains stopping at Valley City today
at the down town station. yet is must
be remembered that these are not all
through trains. For instance, one of
the trains, number 119 and 120 is To-
cal train operating between Leeds and
Fargo which starts nowhere and gets
nowhere so far as Valley City is con-
cerned, and the same service can be
and for many years was furnished by
train numbers and 8 which runs
from St. Paul to Glendive and return.
The Leeds train is not a train Off
cfally recognized by this commission
and is only being operated on suffer
ance and we cannot recognize it in
determining the adequacy of the SER
vice of Valley City. Numbt
nishes morning train to
and number an evening tr
Der furnishes an evenin?
the coast, but there is nc
train, and in fact Valley Cit
one train day to points
state line. If number 3 81
at the down town station it
nish a morning train to the
if number 4, it would fur
ternoon traia.sapst. Paul al
and the commission feels
City is entitled to such
will be furnished should
at the down town depot,
to the present service.
inflict no hardship upon t.
as they frankly stated at .
that they were opposed t
service, and if they couli
an undivided service upt
line they would furnish {
service on the low line,
also that If they were req
numbers 3 and 4 they
run it down into the cit
forced to maintain an ad.
on the high line
IN determining this
commission has assumed
the city of Valley City
ever train service it IL
Continued on Ps