Ohio panel OKs grants for rail projects at multiple short lines

The Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) recently approved $2.9 million in grants to help fund rail improvement projects at four short lines.

The ORDC approved a $1,230,025 grant to R. J. Corman Railroad Group to help with the rehabilitation of its Greenville and Spencerville-Elgin lines. The more than $2.4 million project cost involves rehabilitating 6 miles of track along the 20-mile Spencerville-Elgin line. The portion of the project along the 12-mile Greenville line spans 8 miles and includes replacement of ties, ballast distribution and surfacing. The Greenville line connects Greenville with a CSX interchange in Ansonia.

The ORDC also approved a $255,000 grant to East Ohio Valley Railway (EOVR) to help fund the rehabilitation of four grade crossings. The project cost is estimated at $510,000. EOVR operates 12.2 miles of track between Powhatan Point and Hannibal, and serves the Hannibal Industrial Park and Long Ridge Energy Complex. On June 1, the short line will begin leasing 18 miles of track from Norfolk Southern Railway between Powhatan Point and Bellaire.

Meanwhile, the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Co. (W&LE) will receive a $750,000 grant for the construction of siding on the River Subdivision in Rayland. The project is estimated to cost $1.5 million. The W&LE's River Subdivision connects its operations in the Steubenville area with a CSX interchange near Bellaire in Benwood, West Virginia.

And, the ORDC approved a $654,410 grant to Camp Chase Railway (CAMY) to help fund the rehabilitation of its line from Galloway to Lilly Chapel. The $1.3 million project also calls for reconstructing three crossings. Acquired by Pinsly Railroad Co. in 2023, CAMY operates 15 miles of track from interchanges with CSX and NS in Columbus to Lilly Chapel in Madison County.