New Ohio short line announced

Hannibal Real Estate of White Plains, N.Y., and Carload Express of Oakmont, Pa., on Wednesday jointly announced agreement to operate the 12.2-mile Omal railway line in Monroe County, Ohio, naming it the Ohio Terminal Railway Co.

Ohio Terminal Railway, a wholly owned subsidiary of Carload Express, Inc., will connect with Norfolk Southern, providing “the only rail serving Monroe County, Ohio , providing rail access into the Hannibal Industrial Park owned by Hannibal Real Estate as well as the adjacent Ormet aluminum plant,” the companies stated.

Monroe County is centrally located in the highly productive “wet” gas and oil producing portion of the Utica and Marcellus Shale fields, the companies said, making the short line “a natural fit to service the emerging shale gas drilling industry in the region. The new rail service will stimulate further economic growth and development in Monroe County and will support and sustain the existing manufacturing base.”

Carload Express, Inc. operates three other short line railroads serving Ohio, northern West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania: The Allegheny Valley Railroad , Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad , and Camp Chase Railroad.