Ohio panel OKs matching grants for rail projects

The Ohio Rail Development Commission yesterday approved grants that provide the state's share of matching funds for four Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) grants awarded under its Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program.

"This federal grant program provided us the opportunity to leverage both private and state funding for railroads," said commission Executive Director Matthew Dietrich in a press release. "These rail infrastructure improvements will have positive impacts on Ohio's transportation network for decades."

Following are the state grant recipients, their award amounts and the projects that will be funded: 

• Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad (CFER), $462,000 to match $4,358,547 of CFER funding and a $4,530,546 FRA CRISI grant to assist with upgrades in the Lima Yard and on 11 miles of track from Lima to north-central Indiana;

• Napoleon, Defiance and Western Railroad (NDW), $250,000 to match $3,862,452 of NDW funding and a $4,112,452 FRA CRISI grant to assist with significant track upgrades and eliminating speed, train length and height restrictions along the line between Defiance and Woodburn, Indiana;

• R. J. Corman Western Ohio & Cleveland Lines (RJC), $489,300 to match $709,485 of RJC funding and a $2,226,315 FRA CRISI grant to assist with the installation of more than 20,000 ties of track in and around Massillon, Wooster, Celina and Lima; and

• Youngstown & Southeastern Railroad (YSRR), $350,025 to match $350,025 of YSRR funding and a $700,050 FRA CRISI grant to assist with the installation of more than 10,000 ties and perform surfacing along the line between Struthers and Signal in Mahoning and Columbiana counties. Also, five grade crossing surfaces will be repaired.