PARKERSBURG, W.Va. – CSX Transportation will lease its 39-mile Marietta Subdivision and related trackage in West Virginia and Ohio to a short line operator.
Employees on the line, which runs from Parkersburg, W.Va., to Marietta and Relief, Ohio, were informed of the pending transaction in a letter dated Wednesday.
Belpre Industrial Parkersburg Railroad, which will be operated by Ohio-based holding company Cathcart Rail, expects the deal to close on or around May 2. The short line will employ eight people, including four train service personnel, two in maintenance of way, one track inspector, and a locomotive mechanic.
BIRP will operate the 5.29-mile Parkersburg Running Track from High Yard in Parkersburg across the Ohio River to Belpre, Ohio, as well as the Marietta Sub.
The route was put on the block in June 2018 along with five other low-density lines totalling 650 miles.
At the time, CSX said it was committed to ensuring that local operators maintain service and seek to grow traffic volume.
“CSX is reviewing every aspect of the company’s network to be sure that each asset is maximized for efficiency and adds value to our company’s long-term business needs,” CEO Jim Foote said in the June 2018 line sales announcement. “We believe these efforts will identify a robust pipeline of opportunities that will deliver material value to CSX over the next several years.”
