§ 17. Acquisition of title to real property; additions, betterments and facilities. All real property required by any railroad corporation for the construction, maintenance and accommodation of its railroad shall be deemed to be required for a public use, and may be acquired by such corporation. If the corporation is unable to agree for the purchase of any such real property, or of any right, interest or easement therein, required for any such purpose, or if the owner thereof shall be incapable of selling the same, or if after diligent search and inquiry the name and residence of any such owner cannot be ascertained, it shall have the right to acquire title thereto by condemnation. Every railroad corporation shall have the power from time to time to make and use upon or in connection with any railroad either owned or operated by it, such additions, betterments and facilities as may be necessary or convenient for the better management, maintenance or operation of any such railroad, and shall have the right by purchase or by condemnation, to acquire any real property required therefor, and it shall also have the right of condemnation in the following additional cases:

1. Where title to real property has been acquired, or attempted to be acquired, and has been found to be invalid or defective.

2. Where its railroad shall be lawfully in possession of a lessee, mortgagee, trustee or receiver, and additional real property shall be required for the purpose of running or operating such railroad.

3. Where it shall require for any railroad owned or operated by it any further rights to lands or the use of lands for additional main tracks or for branches, sidings, switches, or turn-outs or for connections or for cut-offs or for shortening or straightening or improving the line or grade of its road or any part thereof. Also where it shall require any further rights to lands or the use of lands for filling any structures of its road, or for constructing, widening or completing any of its embankments or roadbeds, by means of which greater safety or permanency may be secured, and such land shall be contiguous to such railroad and reasonably accessible.

4. Where it shall require any further right to lands or to the use of lands for the flow of water occasioned by railroad embankments or structures now in use, or hereafter rendered necessary, or for any other purpose necessary for the operation of such railroad, or for any right to take and convey water from any spring, pond, creek or river to such railroad, for the uses and purposes thereof, together with the right to build or lay aqueducts or pipes for the purpose of conveying such water, and to take up, relay and repair the same, or for any right of way required for carrying away or diverting any water, stream or floods from such railroad for the purpose of protecting its road or for the purpose of preventing any embankment, excavation or structure of such railroad from injuring the property of any person who may be rendered liable to injury thereby.

Waters commonly used for domestic, agricultural or manufacturing purposes, shall not be taken by condemnation to such an extent as to injuriously interfere with such use in future. No railroad corporation shall have the right to acquire by condemnation any right or easement in or to any real property owned or occupied by any other railroad corporation, except the right to intersect or cross the tracks and lands owned or held for right of way by such other corporation, without appropriating or affecting any lands owned or held for depots or gravel-beds.

Whenever any real property is required by any steam surface railroad corporation, the lines of which within this state are situated wholly within a city of over one million inhabitants, for the purposes mentioned in this section, it shall be a condition precedent to the bringing, or, if heretofore brought, to the continuing of condemnation proceedings by any railroad corporation to acquire said real property that it procure the consent of the commissioner to acquire such real property, and unless such consent is given and procured the said property shall not be condemned. The last preceding requirement shall apply to all proceedings pending at the time this amendment takes effect.