MANSFIELD — A $237,000 grant from the Ohio Rail Development Commission will help launch a three-year track redevelopment project in Richland County for the Ashland Railway.
The commission recently approved eight projects at its bi-monthly meeting, resulting in more than $81 million in rail infrastructure investment around the state.
The projects included rail rehabilitation, rail expansion, rail bridge rehabilitations as well as two grade-crossing elimination projects in Columbiana and Butler counties.
The Richland County project is to rehab four miles of Willard mainline track between Mansfield and Shelby, according to Matt Smith, Ashland Railway general manager.
The project will not impact any vehicle intersections, according to Smith. The total project investment is estimated at $475,000, according to the ORDC.
“This is phase one one of a three-phase project,” Smith said. “It will not impact any grade crossings.”
He said the work will begin in spring 2026.
According to the company website, Ashland Railway began operations in 1986 and operates in Richland, Ashland, Huron, and Wayne counties.
“We are a 56-mile short line railroad serving north central Ohio in a region known as ‘Mid-Ohio.’ Located between Cleveland, Columbus, and Akron/Canton along the I-71 corridor, we provide essential rail service to the communities of Ashland, Mansfield, Willard, Shelby, Plymouth and West Salem,” according to the website.
Smith said the rail line in question carries about 80 percent of the company’s business, which includes plastic, paper, steel, scrap metal and more.
“This is a great project for us in helping us protect the businesses we serve,” Smith said.
According to its website, Ashland Railway interchanges with Class 1 railroads Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation as well as regional short line Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway.
Coupled with our affiliated companies, Skye Trucking and Mansfield Railport, Ashland Railway offer customers a complete logistics package.