Ohio approves grants for two freight-rail projects

The Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) this month announced it approved two grants to improve short-line rail infrastructure in the state.

Genesee & Wyoming Inc.’s Columbus & Ohio River Rail Road (CUOH) will extend an existing rail siding at its Zanesville yard with a $705,994 grant. The project will cost $1.4 million.

The project calls for extending the siding by 4,800 feet and adding a crossover, ORDC officials said in a press release. The extension to the existing 1,375-foot siding north of the yard will relieve congestion in the Zanesville Yard, where CUOH meets with two other G&W railroads.

“The new siding will help to serve new shippers in the area and aid in the reduction of rail congestion in the region,” said ORDC Executive Director Matthew Dietrich.

A $150,000 grant was awarded to battery recycling company Cirba Solutions to install a rail spur at its Lancaster facility. Cirba Solutions processes 15 million pounds of lithium, lithium-ion and alkaline batteries annually at its five facilities across the United States.

The new spur will enable the delivery of bulk raw materials to the Lancaster site, ORDC officials said. Five storage tracks will be added to the building's east side, each with the ability to hold six bars. A pipe rack will be installed in  to load and unload materials. The rail installation will include a rail scale on a new siding off Genesee & Wyoming's Indiana & Ohio Railway mainline located north of the facility.