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Watco Companies (US railroads and terminals)
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- Type
- Freight railroad — short-line and terminal operating group; private
- Market · Region
- United States
- Open tenders
- 0
- Technology areas
- Rolling-stock hardware, Track & civil, Digital operations
Short-line and terminal group buying track materials, locomotives and contractor services for the railroads it operates.
About this buyer
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Operates short-line railroads and terminals and sells rail, transloading, logistics, industrial development, design and engineering and construction management services; buys track and terminal materials, locomotives and contractor services for the railroads and terminals it operates.
- Type
- Freight railroad — short-line and terminal operating group; private
- Technology areas
- Rolling-stock hardware, Track & civil, Digital operations
Structure
- operates for WRRTC — Wisconsin & Southern Railroad (Watco) operates the Reedsburg Subdivision, owned by WisDOT and the Commission, under an operating agreement with the Commission (active)
- funded by WisDOT — Freight Railroad Preservation Program grants and FRIIP loans for Wisconsin & Southern bridge and track rehabilitation, recurring each programme year from 2015 to 2023 on WisDOT's project list, including Merrimac Bridge and Janesville (active)
Sources for these relationships (4)
- ● WisDOT · Freight railroads page: more than 3,200 miles of rail line, 12 certificated common carriers listed (BNSF, CN, CPKC, East Troy Electric, Escanaba & Lake Superior, Fox Valley & Lake Superior, Rail Transload, Tomahawk, Union Pacific, Wisconsin & Southern, Wisconsin Great Northern, Wisconsin Northern), short lines and regionals operating 605 miles of lines preserved by the state. (checked 2026-10-07)
- ● WisDOT · Freight Railroad Preservation Program page: grants up to 80 per cent of project cost, more than $326 million awarded since 1980, SFY 2025 cycle $8 million bonding authority plus $13 million segregated funds, fall 2024 policy revision opening the programme to privately owned railroads including Class I, applications due 1 February annually. (checked 2026-10-07)
- ● WisDOT · Merrimac Bridge Rehabilitation Project page: Reedsburg Subdivision owned by WisDOT and the Wisconsin River Rail Transit Commission and operated by Wisconsin & Southern Railroad under an operating agreement with the Commission; Phase III INFRA grant $6,750,000; lowest bidder Michels Construction $21,695,000 in November 2022; Phase III total cost $22,169,000; funding split; timeline to 2025. Read 7 October 2026. (checked 2026-10-07)
- ● WisDOT · FRPP grant and FRIIP loan projects, 1985 to present (four-page table by programme year, 2015 to 2025: project ID, organisation, location, purpose, FRIIP loan, FRPP grant, federal grant, local funds, project total). Source of the Wisconsin & Southern, Port of Milwaukee and Janesville rows. (checked 2026-10-07)
Withheld in the free surface
- Procurement structure
- Entry path
- Portals (1)
- Published contacts (4)
- Award history (0)
Full detail withheld: 5 fields. In the United States edition · See a fully open example
2 sources · all primary
- ● Watco (suppliers) · Suppliers: general suppliers, logistics suppliers, registration requirements (checked 2026-10-07)
- ● Watco · Home page: rail, transloading, logistics, design and engineering, construction management (checked 2026-10-07)
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Compiled by Watchtower to editorial standards the Managing Partner sets and enforces. Public record only — every datum carries its source.