On May 11, 2023, the Ohio Rail Development Commission (Rail Commission) approved a grant of up to $750,000 to Columbus & Ohio River Rail Road (CUOH) to improve capacity at CUOH’s Newark Yard and mitigate the possibility of blocked railroad crossings in Zanesville. The work consists of the installation of 5,707 feet of track at Newark Yard and the installation of two radio-controlled switch machines in Zanesville.  The total project cost is estimated at $1,752,740.

Newark Yard is CUOH’s primary classification yard. Railcars are sorted there for final distribution to area customers or built into trains bound for interchange.  Licking County and the surrounding region are experiencing an influx of development related to Intel.  CUOH anticipates an increase of 4000 carloads in 2023 and 2024 due, in large part, to this development: the construction of the Intel facility itself, supplier facilities, as well as roadway improvements and other required infrastructure.

CUOH has two interchanges in the City of Zanesville with the Ohio Central Railroad (OHCR) and Ohio Southern Railroad (OSRR). All three railroads are owned by Genesee & Wyoming, Inc. To move through these interchanges, trains come to a complete stop and a railroad employee must dismount, walk to the switch, and hand-operate it. For each interchange, trains may block several grade crossings while performing this operation.  As part of the project, radio-controlled switch machines will be installed at the CUOH-OHCR and CUOH-OSRR interchanges. A railroad employee in the locomotive will be able to remotely control the switch without stopping or dismounting the train. This will reduce the amount of time trains will need to occupy grade crossings in Zanesville, reducing delays for roadway users and emergency responders.

-via Press Release