NV Energy on Monday presented a $100,000 grant for the reconstruction of the historic railroad between Carson City and Virginia City.
V&T Railway Commission Chairman Dwight Millard said the purpose of the grant is "to ensure the railroad can run the first few years."
"The start-up costs is what it's for," he said after NV Energy President Jeff Ceccarelli presented the grant to the commission.
Ceccarelli pointed out NV Energy can trace its history to 1900 when its hydroelectric generating station at Floriston along the Truckee River began providing electric power to the Comstock.
The grant makes NV Energy the first corporate sponsor for the railroad reconstruction project, which is reconstructing the historic Comstock railroad between Virginia City and Carson City. It is designed as a tourist attraction for Storey and Lyon counties and Carson City.
"We view this as a very important regional project," Ceccarelli told the commission.
The grant was presented to the Northern Nevada Railway Foundation headed by Janice Ayres. It will be provided in two equal payments this year and 2011.