Oklahoma & Kansas Railroad seeks to operate Blackwell line

Oklahoma & Kansas Railroad LLC (OKRL) has filed a notice of exemption with the Surface Transportation Board as part of a plan to lease and operate a 37-mile rail line owned by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Blackwell Industrial Authority (BIA).

The line extends from Blackwell, Oklahoma, to Wellington, Kansas, where the line interchanges with BNSF Railway Co. Once a lease agreement is in place, the OKRL will become a rail carrier under the control of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad LLC.

Earlier this year, ODOT and BIA sought an emergency service order from the STB to allow the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific to operate the line after the Federal Railroad Administration shut down the Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad (BGNR), the line's former operator, due to serious violations of rail safety regulations.

In its rarely issued emergency order, the FRA said BNGR could restart operations only after completing several actions demonstrating compliance with federal regulations. However, the ODOT and BIA said earlier this year that they didn't believe that the safety problems identified by FRA were likely to be resolved in the near term.