ST. PAUL — Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton asked state railroad inspectors Thursday to speed up safety inspections of tracks where more oil cars are moving through, a response to marked changes in what routes trains take as they haul millions of gallons of crude across the state.

Dayton said those inspections will occur almost a month ahead of schedule on routes in and around the Twin Cities, checking to ensure the tracks can handle an unprecedented amount of crude oil traffic. The inspection swap comes as BNSF Railway has substantially increased the number of trains coming from North Dakota’s oilfields and going through downtown Minneapolis, including a pass under Target Field.

BNSF said in a statement that it shifted routes because of a major track expansion project north of the Twin Cities. Dayton said he spoke with the railway’s top executive by phone and demanded that the company notify him directly when it makes such re-routing changes.

“There’s a recognition that these are potentially dangerous materials,” the Democratic governor said. “There’s no reason for them not to be in communication with us about what they’re transporting through our state and through our cities.”

Railroads are required by the federal government to notify states of “material” changes in crude oil shipment volumes — generally changes of about 25 percent or more. And BNSF met that standard: Comparing its most recent submission from Sept. 18 with previous filings reveals the major shift in how oil is shipped across Minnesota.