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Twin Cities & Western Railroad Co. (TC&W) plans to celebrate its 10th anniversary July 27 — by year-end, the 229-mile short line will be commemorating a new wholly owned subsidiary.
TC&W earlier this year was selected by Minnesota Valley Regional Rail Authority (MVRRA) to operate a 95-mile line between Norwood and Hanley Falls, Minn., which has been out of service for the past year. The short line would operate the line as a subsidiary dubbed Minnesota Prairie Line Inc.
TC&W plans to begin upgrading the line by late summer after securing $6 million in rehabilitation contracts and funds, including a $4.8 million loan from Minnesota Department of Transportation Rail Service Improvement Program. Shippers along the line plan to contribute $600,000, with MVRRA matching the amount, which TC&W would pay though in-kind maintenance services and cash.
Throughout its decade-long existence, TC&W has spent more than $10 million improving its track, and acquiring rail cars and locomotives. The short line also nearly doubled its freight volume to about 20,000 carloads annually, increased service from three days a week to six days, and enlarged its workforce by 60 percent from 30 to 48 employees.
"We're proud of the fact that no full-time TC&W employee has been laid off, except for one occasion during the fall of 1991," said William Drusch, TC&W president and chief executive officer, in a prepared statement.