July 22, 2025 - TRA Newswire -
The Texas North Western Railway Company (TXNW) has completed significant infrastructure improvements in the Texas panhandle town of Etter, with a 50/50 cost sharing federal program that will improve rail safety, while reducing rail congestion and bottlenecks and allow the railroad to handle longer, heavier trains.
TXNW plans to host a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony in late August 2025 to commemorate the project’s completion and recognize the support of all involved.
TXNW was awarded $4.1 million through the Federal Railroad Administration's Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program to support a total project investment of $8.2 million. The CRISI program focuses on projects that improve rail safety, reduce congestion, enhance service reliability, and advance the resilience of freight transportation infrastructure.
The rail project reflects the goals of the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) program by strengthening critical supply chain infrastructure while delivering benefits to local communities and the broader rail network.
Beyond infrastructure, the project has driven meaningful economic benefits for Moore County and the region. Over the nine-month construction period, more than 100 new jobs were created directly and indirectly, fueling local activity across hotels, restaurants, fuel suppliers, hardware stores and housing. The project’s completion positions Moore County as a stronger hub for freight logistics, supporting local industries such as agriculture, energy, and manufacturing, while expanding opportunities for future business growth and increasing the local tax base.
The Etter improvement project rebuilt, reconfigured and extended TXNW’s rail interchange, eliminating a significant operational bottleneck and ensuring the facility can safely handle longer, heavier trains. The upgrades include:
Relocating and installing new turnouts and constructing new crossovers to improve the fluidity of interchange operations between TXNW and BNSF Railway’s Boise City subdivision.
• Extending two sidings to enable the efficient assembly and disassembly of full-length unit trains.
• Upgrading the track structure to allow for the safe movement of railcars weighing up to 286,000 pounds.
• Installing dual-tone multi-frequency power-controlled switches, reducing manual operations, improving crew safety, and increasing operational efficiency.
Texas North Western Railway is considered the flagship location of TNW Corporation short lines and home to one of their two One-Stop Supercenters, that provide railcar storage, repair, scrapping, and cleaning; as well as first and last mile transport and transload services to national, regional and local customers.
TXNW interchanges with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF) and is part of their elite Short Line Select program. The location is home to the largest privately-owned railcar storage facility in the United States. TXNW has been providing rail transport, storage, operations and logistics since 1982.
Photo credit: TXNW