Watco Transportation Services will purchase controlling ownership in the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad Co., the companies announced today.
The WSOR, a regional railroad operating over 600 miles of track throughout south central Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois, will merge with Watco, a Pittsburg, Kan. company that operates a family of short line and regional railroads across the nation.
The transaction will allow the Wisconsin railroad to expand into new markets throughout the Midwest while remaining part of the state’s economy.
Under terms of the agreement, the WSOR will retain its existing corporate structure, including its name and all operations, and retain its headquarters in Milwaukee, where dispatching, customer service, and administrative functions will be conducted.
William Gardner will stay on as president of the WSOR. “Our state’s future prosperity depends on an efficient and well-maintained rail system with access to a multitude of markets for Wisconsin’s own raw materials and finished products,” Gardner said in a press release.
The WSOR, which employs 250 people, has terminal offices in Madison, Janesville, and Horicon.
