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Ohio Rail Development Commission cites federal grants, grade crossing program to reduce crashes
Summary
The Ohio Rail Development Commission told the Senate Transportation Committee that rail is critical to Ohio’s economy, described the state’s Grade Crossing Elimination program and recent federal grant wins, and said commission funds and partnerships have accelerated construction funding for several grade separation projects.
Matt Dietrich, executive director of the Ohio Rail Development Commission, told the Senate Transportation Committee on Feb. 26 that rail moves large volumes of freight across Ohio, supports thousands of jobs and that state and federal grants are accelerating construction on grade separations and safety projects.
Dietrich said Ohio ranks fourth in the United States by size of rail network, with active rail lines present in 86 of 88 counties and more than 5,000 miles of active track. He described Ohio’s network as dense and noted about 56% of railroad mileage is owned by two Class I railroads and roughly 89% of mileage is privately owned. He emphasized rail’s role in taking trucks off the road, saying an average rail car equals three to four trucks.
Safety and crossings: Dietrich told the committee there are about 5,600 at‑grade rail…
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