ORDC Approves Awards for OHCR and IORY To Replace Rail

ORDC

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio Rail Development Commission announced it has approved awards to both Ohio Central Railroad and Indiana & Ohio Railway to replace rail.

Ohio Central Railroad

The Ohio Central Railroad (OHCR) received $1,055,817 in grant funding from the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC). OHCR operates roughly 74 miles of track in Ohio between Zanesville and Brewster and handles traffic between Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway and the Ohio Central System railroads.

The funds will go toward the final phase of a multi-year project. With the funding, crews will replace 19,200 linear feet of 90 lb. jointed rail with 115RE continuous-welded rail between Brewster and Beach City. The replaced rail is “substandard weight for 286,000-pound rail traffic and the light rail weight, combined with shorter 4-hole joint bars, results in increased rail flaw fatigue defects and broken rails.” It was rolled between 1925 and 1941, marking it well past its service life. Additionally, with this funding, crews will upgrade a turnout located in Beach City and rehabilitate three grade crossing surfaces. According to the release, the project total is estimated to be $1.2 million.

“This project is an important component of the railroad’s overall plan to maintain safety of operations and ensure continued service for their customers who expect it,” said Matthew Dietrich, Executive Director, Ohio Rail Development Commission.

Charles Hunter, AVP Government Affairs for Genesee & Wyoming Railroad Services, Inc., said “The Ohio Central Railroad Rail Replacement project has been a priority for some time and without the partnership with ORDC, the project would have been delayed further, preventing the true benefits to the railroad and rail freight shippers.  The new rail will be of heavier manufacture weight and of higher quality to better support the heavier railcars used in modern day rail freight service.”

Indiana & Ohio Railway

The ORDC approved $589,505 in grant funding to the Indiana & Ohio Railway (IORY). IORY operates more than 27 miles from Cleves to Brookville, Ind. The funds will go toward replacing more than 11,000 linear feet of 80 lb. rail with 115RE continuous-welded rail. Crews will also replace 525 ties and rehabilitate four grade crossing surfaces. According to the release, one of these is a public grade crossing surface, and the other three are private crossing surfaces. Crews will remove fouled ballast and rehabilitate the surfaces with “new ties, ballast, OTM, rail and rail seal/asphalt crossing surfaces.” The three private crossings have 80 lb. rail and will require removal and reconstruction. The project is estimated to be $1.2 million.

“This project improves safety of railroad operations into the future.  Maintaining railroad infrastructure is critical and we are pleased to offer the needed support to help the railroad accomplish this goal,” said ORDC Executive Director Dietrich.

Genesee & Wyoming Railroad Services AVP Government Affairs Hunter, said “Having ORDC as a true partner in the Indiana & Ohio Railway’s Brookville project is important to the success of the railroad and, more importantly, the Ohio businesses that are served by the railroad.  This project will provide upgraded supply chain infrastructure for products shipped by rail and enhanced safety for many years.  Preventing unscheduled maintenance outages and service interruptions to shipments is very important to the rail freight customers.”