8-K

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K



                Current Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                           the Securities Act of 1934





         Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): JULY 10, 2003





                         NORTHERN BORDER PARTNERS, L.P.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)





                                                                      
               DELAWARE                           1-12202                       93-1120873
     (State or other jurisdiction               (Commission                  (I.R.S. Employer
           of incorporation)                    File Number)                Identification No.)

           13710 FNB PARKWAY
            OMAHA, NEBRASKA                                                     68154-5200
(Address of principal executive offices)                                        (Zip Code)






                                 (402) 492-7300
              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)







ITEM 5.    OTHER EVENTS AND REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE.

           Northern Border Partners, L.P. owns a 70 percent general partner
interest in Northern Border Pipeline Company. Attached as Exhibit 99.1 is a copy
of a press release, dated July 10, 2003, regarding Northern Border Pipeline
Company's contracted transportation capacity.


ITEM 7.    FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS.

     (c)   Exhibits.

           99.1        Northern Border Pipeline Company press release dated
                       July 10, 2003.






                                   SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.


                                         Northern Border Partners, L.P.
                                         ( A Delaware Limited Partnership)


                                         By: /s/ Jerry L. Peters
                                            ------------------------------------
                                            Jerry L. Peters
                                            Chief Financial & Accounting Officer

July 10, 2003





                                  EXHIBIT INDEX



Exhibit 99.1 -- Northern Border Pipeline Company Press Release dated July 10,
                2003.

EX-99.1

                                                                    EXHIBIT 99.1


                 [NORTHERN BORDER PIPELINE COMPANY LETTERHEAD]


                                                       NEWS
                                                       RELEASE

                                                       For Further Information
                                                       Contact:

                                                       Media Contact:
                                                       Martha Sumner-Kenney
                                                       (402) 492-3401

                                                       Investor Contact:
                                                       Ellen Konsdorf
                                                       (402) 492-7500


NORTHERN BORDER PIPELINE COMPANY ANNOUNCES
SIGNIFICANT CAPACITY COMMITMENTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2003

         OMAHA - (NYSE: NBP; NASDAQ: TCLP) - Northern Border Pipeline Company
announced today that it has received commitments from several entities for
transportation capacity, leaving approximately 11% of the total system capacity
expiring prior to November 1, 2003. These commitments are at the maximum rate
available under Northern Border's tariff, the majority of which are for terms of
one to two years, with a small amount of capacity extending up to ten years.

         "The success of the recontracting effort to date reinforces Northern
Border's ongoing stability of revenue and cash flow," said Bill Cordes, chairman
of the Northern Border Pipeline Management Committee. "We have been and remain
confident in our ability to recontract our available capacity based on the
favorable competitive position of the Northern Border system. Once again, the
shippers have confirmed the value of holding pipeline capacity between Canadian
supply areas and midwestern U.S. markets."

         Northern Border Pipeline Company is a general partnership that owns and
operates a 1,249-mile interstate pipeline that transported approximately 20
percent of all Canadian gas imported into the United States in 2002. Northern
Border Partners, L.P. (NYSE:NBP) owns a 70 percent general partner interest in
Northern Border Pipeline Company. The remaining 30 percent general partner
interest is owned by TC PipeLines, LP (Nasdaq: TCLP).

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934. Although the Company believes that its expectations are
based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that such expectations
will be achieved. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those in the forward-looking statements include natural gas
development in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin; competitive conditions in
the overall natural gas markets; performance of contractual obligations by the
shippers; our ability to market pipeline capacity on favorable terms; and the
price of natural gas.