Ohio to Invest Millions in Railroad Improvement

The Ohio Rail Development Commission announced that the state of Ohio plans to invest approximately $350 million over the next 10 years in railroad safety.

According to The Ohio Insurance Forum, the invested money will also finance a “zero-tolerance” program aimed at eliminating accidents at railroad crossings.

Ohio has about 5,800 miles of railroad track with 6,300 public grade crossings. In 1999, 19 people were killed at crossings and 45 people were injured. More than 100 accidents occurred, and about half of those collisions occurred at crossings with flashing lights and gates.

Twenty years ago, around 670 crashes occurred a year. The vast improvement over the last two decades is due to aggressive and innovative safety programs.