Napoleon, Defiance & Western completes trackwork to offer CSX, NS access

The Napoleon, Defiance & Western Railway (NDW) has completed a major track rehabilitation project that will enable shippers on the Indiana and Ohio line to route traffic via CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway, NDW's owner Pioneer Railcorp has announced.

In December 2012, Pioneer Railcorp purchased a 51-mile line between Woodburn, Ind., and Liberty Center, Ohio, that formerly was operated by the Maumee & Western Railroad Corp. After the acquisition, a major priority was to rehab several miles of previously inoperable track between Defiance and Cecil, Ohio, said Pioneer Railcorp President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Carr in a press release.

"In doing so, we are now able to offer our eastern shippers NS access via Woodburn, and our western shippers CSXT access via Defiance, Ohio," he said.

All shippers should benefit immediately from the competitive access and multiple Class I connections, which are a necessity to participate in major industrial development projects going forward, said Carr.

"The combination of industrial development sites, local support and four-lane highway access puts us in position to attract major industries that would add jobs to a growing region," he said.

Pioneer Railcorp owns 25 short-line rail operations in 14 states that operate more than 600 miles of track. The company also owns several other railroad-related businesses, including a railroad equipment firm and contract switching services company.