COLUMBUS, Ohio — Four short line or regional railroads will receive funds totaling $1.9 million for four grade crossing improvements following approval Wednesday, Jan. 7, by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
The Ann Arbor Railroad received the maximum available, up to $500,000, from the state Grade Crossing Projection Fund for a project to upgrade the crossing lights and gates and install crossing-light cantilevers at the Summit Street crossing in Toledo. The total cost of the project is set at $659,366; the commission will provide 75% of the cost, with the railroad providing 25%, as well as costs over the commission’s maximum of $500,000.
Also receiving funding:
- The Napoleon, Defiance & Western Railway, to receive $466,880 in federal funds for lights and gates at the Cleveland Street crossing in the village of Antwerp.
- The Kanawha River Railroad, to receive $399,761 in federal funds for lights and gates at the State Route 256/Main Street crossing in Fairfield County.
- The Wheeling & Lake Railroad, to receive $299,448 in federal funds for lights and gates at the State Route 3/Main Street crossing in Wayne County. The W&LE will contribute $74,862.
The commission is responsible for evaluating the state’s grade crossings to determine the need for installing active warning devices. In a press release announcing the awards, the PUCO says the number of collisions between trains and motor vehicles in Ohio has decreased from 356 in 1990 to 67 in 2024.
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