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11/14/2023
The Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) recently approved $264,000 in grant funding to the Napoleon Defiance & Western Railway (NDW) and authorized staff to administer a recently awarded federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) grant.
A total of $10.8 million was awarded in CRISI funds, with $4.4 million in private railroad funds contributing to the total $15.4 million project to upgrade the rail line between Defiance and Napolean, Ohio.
A Patriot Rail subsidiary, NDW owns and operates 43 miles of track from Woodburn, Indiana, to Napolean. The railroad had experienced years of deferred maintenance, which resulted in having among the highest derailment rates in the nation, according to an ORDC press release.
Following ownership changes at NDW in 2019 and 2022, the NDW's preservation and rehabilitation became a priority. The latest grant dollars awarded to the railroad will fund an ongoing effort to "ensure the rail line continues to be an asset for the region's economic development," said ORDC Executive Director Matthew Dietrich.
Meanwhile, the ORDC also recently granted approval to commission staff to administer a CRISI grant to the Kanawha River Railroad, which is owned by Norfolk Southern Railway and operated by a subsidiary of Watco.
The CRISI dollars will go toward a $32.5 million project to rehabilitate significant sections of the 240-mile rail line between Columbus, Ohio, and Cornelia, West Virginia.