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D.C. (NewsDakota.com) Congressman Kevin Cramer became the second North Dakotan to receive the prestigious Golden Spike Award in a National Association of Railroad Passengers ceremony on April 29. NARP honored Congressman Kevin Cramer for his strong support of passenger trains and transit, both locally and across the United States.

NARP Chairman Robert Stewart. “Our members, and all of America’s passengers, thank Representative Cramer for his work to keep the trains moving across the national network.”

The North Dakota native, along with other members of the state’s delegation, shined a spotlight on the oil-by-rail freight train congestion that was causing serious delays to Amtrak’s Empire Builder, which serves as a critical transportation connection to tens of thousands of North Dakotans.

Cramer’s work helped lead Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway to add 5,000 crew members system wide. BNSF also sent 250 temporary workers, 5,000 rail cars, and 125 locomotives to North Dakota to ease congestion.

U.S. DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx says, “Cramer is committed, he’s tough, he’s smart, he’s dedicated, and he’s someone I consider a friend.”

Cramer joins a long list of luminaries who have received the Golden Spike Award including Walt Disney, Johnny Cash, and Barron Hilton. The only other North Dakotan to receive the award is Senator Mark Andrews in 1986.