A meeting was already scheduled for Thursday at the Grant County Library, but after the train derailment on Monday afternoon, it made the meeting that much more important.

WEKANDO (Western Kansas Development Organization) is a coalition of Stanton, Grant, Stevens, and Morton Counties that seeks better economic development in their area. They've been complaining about the quality of the Cimarron Valley Railroad for quite some time.

"When you don't maintain the rail, then shippers don't use it as much," says attorney John Frieden. He has represented WEKANDO in their efforts to upgrade the railroad. "At the present time, the rail is in poor 'Class 1' condition."

Derailments like the one Monday, just west of Ensign, may have finally led to some action taking place. A $15 million deal between the state, the railroad owner, and the counties of WEKANDO was agreed to last night that would rehabilitate the railroad.

"We're on the more vital end of it to get it into Dodge," says Gray County commissioner Glenn Oyler. "It's important to our people."

The stretch of railroad running through Gray County will be upgraded to a "Class 2", which means trains will be able to travel 15 mph faster.

"An upgraded 'Class 2' railroad really helps our area down there," adds Oyler's fellow commissioner, David Loucks. "We have three small towns along that line, and if they don't have rail service those towns are in trouble."

No word yet on when construction is set to begin, but knowing that improvements will be made is a step in the right direction.