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OHIO RAIL

DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION

50 W. Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215

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http://www.dot.state.oh.us/ohiorail/

Contact: Stu Nicholson

(614) 644-0513

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: March 10, 2005

ORDC Commissioners OK Key Rail Projects

6 Projects Impact Business & Jobs

(Columbus) – From replacing an important railroad bridge in Youngstown to helping a Southern Ohio railroad relieve flooding problems, Ohio Rail Development Commissioners today approved seven projects around the state. All of the actions will not only improve rail service, but also help local business and create or retain jobs.

Commissioners gave unanimous approval to the following:

• Approved a $150,000 grant to assist in the replacement of an important railroad bridge over the Mahoning River. The 298-foot, steel girder bridge was built in 1910 for the Youngstown Belt Railroad (YBRR) and had deteriorated to the point it had to be closed and no funds were available at the time to cover the estimated $1-million to $2-million dollar cost. But in a fortunate turn of events, an ODOT project to rebuild the nearby State Route 193 highway bridge has enabled the replacement of the railroad bridge to take place. The ODOT contractor has removed the YBRR bridge in order to create space for a large crane for the highway bridge project. This also greatly reduces the cost for the railroad. When the project is completed, the contractor will replace the YBRR bridge using newly refurbished steel girders. That steel comes from a railroad bridge recently dismantled by the City of Youngstown that would have otherwise been sold for scrap. Finding a new life for this old bridge also reduces the cost of the project. It will also help to better serve shippers who currently employ 300 people, and to the new Genmak plant which is creating 54 new jobs. The Youngstown Belt Railroad is now a subsidiary of the Ohio Central Railroad System.

• Approved a $148,000 grant to assist the RJ Corman Railroad to rehabilitate 10 miles of track between St.Mary’s and Minster in Auglaize County. The upgraded track will allow better service to shippers along the line who currently employ over 3,000 people.

• Approved a $132,000 grant and a loan of up to $108,000 to cover the costs of building and/or rebuilding approximately 6,000 feet of track on the Republic N & T Railroad to serve a new steel casting plant at Republic Engineered Products in Canton. The project will allow the railroad to handle an additional 6,000 rail cars per year and create 170 new jobs in the Canton area.

• Approved a grant of $50,000 to US Rail Corporation (USRC) to help improve drainage ditches along 8 miles of track scattered along the 60-miles of track owned by the City of Jackson in Ross, Vinton and Jackson Counties. The rail lines currently serve 13 active customers who employ over 3,000 people. ORDC staff estimates at least 500 of these jobs are directly dependent on the rail service provided by US Rail Corporation.

• Approved a $120,000 matching grant for the Maumee & Western Railroad (MAWRR) to repair portions of their rail lines between Cecil, Ohio and the Indiana state line and between Napoleon and Defiance, Ohio. The MAWRR will provide a 40% match of $80,000. These track repairs will allow more timely and reliable service along the MAWRR to shippers who employ about 5,800 people. The line also parallels the important US Highway 24 Corridor, which is currently being expanded to four lanes on the Ohio portion of the so-called “Fort to Port” (Fort Wayne-Toledo) highway. The project will allow the railroad to generate an estimated 960 new carloads of freight a year.

• Approved $40,000 grant to the Cleveland Commercial Railroad Company (CCRC) to repair three to five switches at the northern end of it’s operating line in Cleveland. This is a start-up short line railroad that replaces a former rail operator. In addition to helping the railroad provide effective service to shippers who employ 70 people, the switch repairs will allow much safer operation and reduce train delays. Additionally, the CCRC will undertake repairs to the Washington Street railroad overpass. These repairs will fix a collapsing embankment and allow increased safety for vehicular traffic in the City of Bedford.

“Projects like these”, says ORDC Executive Director James Seney are at the core of what we do at ORDC to not only help the railroads that operate in Ohio, but to preserve and create good jobs for Ohioans.”

(The Ohio Rail Development Commission is an independent agency operating within the Ohio Department of Transportation. ORDC is responsible for economic development through the improvement and expansion of passenger and freight rail service, railroad grade crossing safety and rail travel & tourism issues. For more information about what ORDC does for Ohio, visit our website at http://www.dot.state.oh.us/ohiorail/)