Ohio rail commission to consider freight-rail project grants

At a meeting to be held Thursday, the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) will consider issuing grants exceeding $1 million for several freight-rail projects.

The commission will discuss whether to provide a $500,000 grant to the Indiana and Ohio Railway to improve train speed and remove weight restrictions on its line running from Columbus to Lancaster to Logan.

Commissioners also will review a potential $500,000 grant to R.J. Corman Railroad Group to rehabilitate a line running from Warwick to Dover to Uhrichsville, and a potential $270,000 grant to the Indiana Eastern Railroad's Ohio South-Central Rail Line — the new operator of the city of Jackson's rail line — to help improve speed and safety on the route.


"Combined, these projects [would] benefit over 25 companies and 6,000 jobs," ORDC officials said in a meeting announcement.

The commission also will consider an agreement with Norfolk Southern Railway that would "protect investments" from the Class I and Ohi-Rail Corp. on the Piney Fork rail line totaling more than $7 million, they said.