Abandoned Rail Lines May Bring Some Relief to Roads in Drilling Areas
From WKBN 27 News:
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New life for abandoned rail lines may be yet another change on the horizon as the Valley reindustrializes.Read the rest of the article here.
A rail line at the V&M Star is undergoing restoration to handle traffic it hasn't seen in decades.
Sources say that Carizzo Oil and Gas is looking at an abandoned rail line in Orangeville for an access road into its just-permitted well site in Hartford Township. It's the second permit issued in Trumbull County that allows for horizontal drilling of Utica shale deposits.
The proposed use of the old rail bed, still owned by Norfolk Southern, would allow heavy construction truck traffic to mostly avoid the narrow, winding, Hayes-Orangeviile Road.
Talks between the companies are reported to be underway, though neither side is commenting.
Thousands of miles of abandoned rail lines criss-cross the nation, and northeast Ohio has its share. The appetite for drilling acreage, pipeline corridors, and even revitalized rail lines are both realities and possibilities as the shale industry and supporting suppliers build-out the infrastructure needed to conduct business.
Some abandoned lines have been repurposed into multi-use rail trails, such as the Western Reserve Greenway Trail, and the advocacy group responsible for many of those conversions, is on-board with sharing the resource if necessary.
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