Crosstex reopens Ohio crude-by-rail facility, completes Louisiana transload expansion

Crosstex Energy L.P. and Crosstex Energy Inc. today announced they re-activated the Black Run rail loading terminal in Frazeysburg, Ohio, that's served by the Ohio Central Railroad (OHCR) to support the export of oil condensate from the Utica Shale.

The facility, which includes a 20-car rail rack, is designed to load light oil condensate and various grades of crude oil at a rate of 24,000 barrels per day.

"The re-activation of our Black Run rail facility enables us to offer producer customers in the Utica Shale an immediate midstream solution to export their products to out-of-region markets," said Crosstex President and Chief Executive Officer Barry Davis in a press release. "We are pleased to be at the forefront of moving product by rail in an area where there is a lack of transloading capabilities."

Owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc., the 70-mile OCHR interchanges with the Columbus and Ohio River Railroad, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, Ohio Southern Railroad, and Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway Co.

Crosstex also announced the completion of a second-phase expansion at its Riverside facility located on the Mississippi River in southern Louisiana. The company increased the facility's daily capacity to transload crude oil from rail cars to barges by 15,000 barrels.

The expansion included include an above-ground crude oil storage tank, a rail spur with a 26-spot car unloading rack and a crude offloading facility.