Northern & Ohio Western slated for major maintenance project

OmniTRAX Inc., two Ohio counties and the City of Tiffin Port Authority have slated a $900,000 maintenance project for the Northern & Ohio Western Railway (NOW) this fall.

The project brings the total investment in rail and crossings on the short line to $1.6 million over the past two years.

"The short line is a valuable asset to business in Seneca and Sandusky counties," said port authority Chairman Jim Supance in a press release. "We are committed to continuing to invest in the rail and appreciate the partnership with OmniTRAX on day-to-day operations and projects like these."

NOW operates on 25 miles of track southeast of Toledo, extending from Woodville to Tiffin, Ohio.

OmniTRAX will replace 7,000 ties and resurface 24 miles of track at a cost of $900,000, which represents the second significant investment this year. Earlier this year, new gates and lights were installed at two crossings and a road crossing was rehabbed in Gibsonburg. The state funded that project at a cost of $500,000.

In addition to those two projects in 2017, six rail crossings were rehabbed for $100,000 in 2016.