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Commission Hoping To Fund Rail Cars, Survey

en.wikipedia.org

A group of counties from northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula continue to work toward providing new rail cars for the logging industry. They hope the new cars will help keep freight rail service in the region.

The Northwoods Rail Transit Commission's Wendy Gelhoff says they have sent in a second grant application. The last $4.8 million dollar grant application did not make it through the state budget process.   Freight rail companies have made rumblings over the years of discontinuing service in this region, and Gelhoff says being able to show new rail cars at no cost to the provider should provide an incentive. She says the current rail log cars are aging.  She says putting logs on rail cars will have other advantages...

"...not only will we be able to move less logs by rail and end up with more wear and tear because of more logging trucks on our roads. That's a negative for road wear and bridge wear..."

Gelhoff says the additional log and finished wood products trade that could go on the lines could provide an additional incentive for the rail companies to continue servicing the Northwoods. She says they are also applying for a grant to survey business about who would ship via rail if service was provided.

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