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Railway negotiations not yet off the rails

Negotiations to purchase the Kettle Falls International Railroad have not happened yet, despite abandonment of the railroad being set to take place in less than three months.
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Negotiations to purchase the Kettle Falls International Railroad have not happened yet

Negotiations to purchase the Kettle Falls International Railroad have not happened yet, despite abandonment of the  railroad being set to take place in less than three months.

Mike Ogborn, of OmniTrax, said there’s been little activity.

“We have not had any negotiations with any parties since before we filed the notice of abandonment or actually since then, that I’m aware of,” Ogborn said.

OmniTrax provides management services to short line railroads all over the U.S. and parts of Canada, and includes the Kettle Falls route.

Ogborn said the notice of abandonment sets in motion a time frame for people to show an interest, whether private citizens or government.

“A year or so ago, we had discussions with people from Grand Forks, government and other interested parties,” he said. “Since that time really nothing has moved forward in terms of sale.”

Grand Forks businesses, like Interfor and Pacific Abrasives, would likely be affected by the closure, since they use they use the line for product shipping.