Short-line rail group urges continued ORDC funding, asks for tailored detector rules in HB54

Columbus — Brendan Keener, vice president of commercial development for Midwest & Bluegrass Rail and vice president of the Youngstown & Southeastern Railroad, told the House Transportation Committee on Feb. 11 that short-line railroads depend on targeted state grants and technical assistance to maintain crossings and track and to attract federal matching dollars.

Keener said the Ohio Rail Development Commission's crossing safety improvement and grant programs — funded at $6 million per year in previous budgets — are especially effective at combining public money, technical expertise and federal match to fix grade crossings, upgrade bridges and improve track so small freight customers remain connected. "ORDC's crossing safety improvement program combines public funds with a data driven and collaborative approach to identify crossing projects," he said.

Keener also addressed wayside detector requirements. He said the detectors currently discussed at the state level are designed for higher-speed mainline operations and do not function well at the lower speeds typical of short-line railroads. He urged legislators to include language like Senate Bill 250 to refine detector installation requirements for short lines while preserving the safety goals behind the earlier mandate.

Keener told the committee that ORDC grants are oversubscribed and used to leverage larger federal infrastructure grants; he described the program as a strong steward of public funds and an effective way to promote safety and private investment. He asked lawmakers to retain the ORDC allocation in HB54 and to adopt short-line-appropriate detector language.

Committee members acknowledged the request and indicated related amendments were circulating.