Seven Rail Projects Approved = Jobs Created and More Jobs Preserved

Columbus (Thursday, November 18, 2010) – Seven rail development projects  approved Thursday by ORDC Commissioners add up a total impact of 167 new jobs created and 4,294  rail-dependent jobs preserved.

The projects include:

•        A new turnout switch and twin rail spurs at the MPR trans-loading facility at Bellaire (Belmont County) that will create a rail-to-barge transfer facility and enable 73 new jobs to be added. In this project, an ORDC loan of $250,000 helped leverage over $4-million dollars in funding to make the project possible to improve the handling of steel products through the river port at Bellaire.
•      A $163,000 loan to build a new rail spur serving D&L Energy at Youngstown (Mahoning County) that will help the company expand its business and create up to 14 new jobs and one additional job for the railroad serving the line.
•   A grant of $200,000 to leverage funds from the RJ Corman Railroad to complete a multi-year upgrade of two rail lines in Western Ohio that serve 25 shippers that employ over 3,000 people.
•     Another $200,000 grant to attract up to $296,000 in private funds from the Indiana & Ohio Railroad to continue the upgrading of a 10 mile stretch of their Midland Subdivision rail line between Washington Court House and Midland, Ohio.  The line serves 4 businesses that employ 115 people.

“The MPR transloading facility at Bellaire is a project critical to the economic vitality of Southeast Ohio as we rediscover how the Ohio River and railroads can connect to move heavy loads of freight and how this connection creates business and good jobs”, says State Senator Jason Wilson, who is also one of four legislative ex-officio members of the Ohio Rail development Commission.   “With this new facility, we will put 73 people to work where jobs are really needed."

Additionally, staff-approved projects on the November meeting agenda included:

•       A grant of up to $125,000 to build a rail-truck Transload facility at Lancaster.  The grant leveraged $100,000 from the Westerman Companies, which will use the facility to Transload steel for their manufacturing operation near Bremen, Ohio.  The project will preserve 150 existing jobs and create 80 new jobs.
•      A $130,000 grant to continue rehabilitation of the city-owned  Greenfield railroad line, which helps preserve 979 jobs at local companies that depend on rail for shipping.  The City of Greenfield is contributing slightly over $92,000 for the track and rail bed upgrades.
•    A grant & loan package of a combined $150,000 to re-install a rail switch and upgrade to rail spurs into the Novotec recycling facility on Columbus’ Southeast side.  The project will allow Novotec to handle increasing business and preserve 50 existing jobs, as well as enable possible future expansion.

“All of these projects, especially the MPR Transload facility at Bellaire, are a great example of how ORDC’s flexibility and agility can make important projects happen quickly and effectively when the need to do so is there”, says ORDC Executive Director Matt Dietrich.  “And just look at the impact this has on the lives of these Ohioans, whose jobs have been preserved because the trains not only will keep running, but they can better serve Ohio businesses by offering even more reliable movement of the raw materials and products they need or produce.”

For more information contact:
Stu Nicholson, ORDC Communications,