A multi-million dollar investment in one of Montana's rail lines could result in two new high-speed loading grain elevators.

BNSF Railway has said that it will invest $5-8 million in its Great Falls-to-Fort Benton branch line, which could lead to construction of one or two high-speed "shuttle loader" elevators between the two cities.

Railroad officials announced the plan Wednesday at a meeting with a coalition of farm groups that is lobbying to save critical branch lines.

The upgrade ensures the survival of the Fort Benton track, which leads to one of Montana's richest grain-growing regions, said Lochiel Edwards, past president of the Montana Grain Growers Association and a member of the coalition.

BNSF is moving away from servicing older, 52-car elevators like the ones on the Fort Benton line.

Edwards said a likely location for a shuttle loader or a pair of shuttle loaders is between Carter and Kershaw. However, he would not speculate on which grain companies would build the facilities, and railroad officials did not name any.

Wednesday's announcement stemmed from talks between the farm coalition and BNSF, as the railroad targets branch lines for closure.