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The Wichita, Tillman & Jackson Railway Co. (WTJR) recently filed an exemption notice with the Surface Transportation Board to acquire a 61-mile line owned by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT).

Known as the Western Branch, the line extends from the Texas-Oklahoma border near Burkburnett, Texas, to Altus, Okla. Owned by Rio Grande Pacific Corp., WTJR has leased and operated the branch since 1991.

A line lease agreement with ODOT provides WTJR an option to purchase the branch, and the short line has elected to exercise it.
 
The short line and ODOT expect to complete the transaction by mid-January. The 100-mile WTJR interchanges with BNSF Railway Co. and Union Pacific Railroad in Wichita Falls, Texas.