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Rail Lines Owned By US State DOTs
https://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=47805		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  Daylight25 [ Mon Dec 18, 2023 10:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Rail Lines Owned By US State DOTs
I'm looking for any rail lines owned by state DOTs but can't find anything on Google. Which rail lines are owned by state DOTs?
Author:  Dick_Morris [ Mon Dec 18, 2023 11:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Rail Lines Owned By US State DOTs
Not by the state DOT, but the Alaska Railroad is owned by the State of Alaska. It an independent corporation governed by a board of directors.
Author:  QJdriver [ Mon Dec 18, 2023 11:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Rail Lines Owned By US State DOTs
Of course, the Texas State RR is owned by the Texas Division of Parks & Wildlife, under the oversight of the FRA. Hope this is helpful.
Author:  Stationary Engineer [ Tue Dec 19, 2023 12:33 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Rail Lines Owned By US State DOTs
This summarizes Oklahoma's DOT ownership and lease agreements. I imagine you will have to go to each state's DOT website to get the info.

https://www.odot.org/Publications/19_Ra ... cation.pdf
Author:  Alexander D. Mitchell IV [ Tue Dec 19, 2023 1:48 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Rail Lines Owned By US State DOTs
I'm not sure where to look it up right now, but the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania does indeed own several stretches of railroad line. It's always been VERY messy to follow, because in every instance I've identified the state ownership of the line was later well obscured, save for a very few instances, by later lease, designated operator, short line, etc. arrangements with operators who acted as, and were largely seen as, "owners" of the track in question.

One example of this was the former PRR line from Montandon to Mifflinburg, Pa., sold to the Commonwealth after Conrail abandoned service in September 1982. The West Shore Railroad was set up ostensibly for freight service to the few remaining customers, but also for excursion operations. The later moribund line was abandoned at the beginning of 2008 and pulled up for a rail trail in 2009, but nowhere in the abandonment filings did I see any notice of then-current Commonwealth ownership of the track or ROW. And I'm not positive about this, but I think the line out of Jim Thorpe that tourist trains have long run on was also partially a Commonwealth-owned line, and I think there's a chance at least some spurs of the present-day Reading & Northern either are still state-owned or were state-owned before the R&N proceeded to buy them.

Further, there are portions of railroads that were acquired by local governments lower than the state level in Pa., most notably the various lines owned by the SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority, a multi-county economic development agency. Other states have similar agency line ownership, such as the (now past) two counties that owned what was the Eastern Shore RR on the Maryland/Virginia peninsula. Do you want to count such lines as well, or just state-owned ones?
Author:  PMC [ Tue Dec 19, 2023 4:34 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Rail Lines Owned By US State DOTs
The old South Orient between west of Ft. Worth, Texas and the border with Mexico at Presidio is owned by the Texas DOT. The trestle across the river into Mexico has been out of service since 2008 but has been reconstructed, I was just today checking to see if the border crossing ever reopened (it didn't), given the closure of Eagle Pass and several other rail border crossings the past few days. https://texasrailadvocates.org/2021/10/ ... esidio-tx/
Author:  Alan Maples [ Tue Dec 19, 2023 6:42 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Rail Lines Owned By US State DOTs
Maryland DOT owns several rail lines including those on the Eastern Shore that extend into Delaware, apparently giving Maryland the distinction of owning rail lines in a neighboring state.

https://www.mdot.maryland.gov/OPCP/railmap.pdf

- Alan Maples
Author:  PaulWWoodring [ Tue Dec 19, 2023 7:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Rail Lines Owned By US State DOTs
I know it was true when Jerry Jacobson owned the Ohio Central, I do not know for sure with the G&W, but Ohio owns the former Pennsy Panhandle line from Gould Tunnel to Columbus and leases the operating rights.

Also, Virginia bought the former C&O Mountain Sub from CSX that the Buckingham Branch uses between Richmond and Clifton Forge, VA. This is why 611 was allowed to operate over it this past Fall. CSX had a clause in the lease prohibiting any passenger operations other than Amtrak's Cardinal or steam. This is why I keep saying that a nationalized RoW network would open up the entire system for passenger rail and steam excursions, like the UK has.
Author:  jayrod [ Tue Dec 19, 2023 8:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Rail Lines Owned By US State DOTs
PaulWWoodring wrote:
I know it was true when Jerry Jacobson owned the Ohio Central, I do not know for sure with the G&W, but Ohio owns the former Pennsy Panhandle line from Gould Tunnel to Columbus and leases the operating rights.

ORDC is still shown as the owner on their interactive rail map of Ohio however the accuracy the map leaves much to be desired. The Ohio Rail Development Commission is an independent part of ODOT. They actually own quite a few lines, however there is no list published that I can find. There are also municipalities and counties in Ohio that own some lines.
Author:  PaulWWoodring [ Tue Dec 19, 2023 9:27 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Rail Lines Owned By US State DOTs
jayrod wrote:
ORDC is still shown as the owner on their interactive rail map of Ohio however the accuracy the map leaves much to be desired. The Ohio Rail Development Commission is an independent part of ODOT. They actually own quite a few lines, however there is no list published that I can find. There are also municipalities and counties in Ohio that own some lines.


Akron MetroRTA owns over 50 miles of railroad RoW, including the former CSX line from Akron to Canton, which the CVSR has used at various times when they ran to Canton. Much of the rest is gradually being converted to rail-trails.
Author:  PrrOpCrew [ Tue Dec 19, 2023 3:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Rail Lines Owned By US State DOTs
Alan Maples wrote:
Maryland DOT owns several rail lines including those on the Eastern Shore that extend into Delaware, apparently giving Maryland the distinction of owning rail lines in a neighboring state.

https://www.mdot.maryland.gov/OPCP/railmap.pdf

- Alan Maples



Interesting what is and is not shown on that map. I know from doing research that the line indicated as being owned/operated by the Maryland Midland north of Keymar, is actually owned by MDOT and is owned by them all the way into Littlestown, Pennsylvania.

I also found it interesting that the Northern Central corridor isn't shown as being MDOT, I mean technically its owned by Maryland DCNR where the Rail Trail is, but its still a preserved (rail banked) transportation corridor.
Author:  Joe Magruder [ Tue Dec 19, 2023 4:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Rail Lines Owned By US State DOTs
In California public agencies own several sections of railroad, the former Southern Pacific commute line from San Francisco to San Jose, the former Santa Fe line from Fullerton to San Diego, several former Southern Pacific lines in Southern California...
Author:  Mark Hedges [ Tue Dec 19, 2023 5:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Rail Lines Owned By US State DOTs
North Carolina owns a significant amount of trackage in the state. Most (maybe all) is leased to NS which uses it for freight but there is some passenger service on the line as well.
Author:  MD Ramsey [ Tue Dec 19, 2023 5:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Rail Lines Owned By US State DOTs
The FRA Public Website has a list of all state rail plans. These State Rail Plans fulfill the requirements of FRA and the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA). https://railroads.dot.gov/rail-network- ... rail-plans

Almost, if not all of these rail plans, identify the track owners and service providers in the state. Keep in mind, track ownership and track maintenance responsibilities are different. For example, a state may own a specific corridor and has a long tern lease agreement with XYZ RR company, who is responsible for maintenance.

Also, a state may sponsor an intercity passenger service and own all or a portion of the equipment and none of the track. Washington DOT's Cascade Service is an example.

Hope this helps...

MD Ramsey
Author:  philip.marshall [ Tue Dec 19, 2023 5:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Rail Lines Owned By US State DOTs
State-owned rail lines are ubiquitous in the Northeast. Most prominently, this includes commuter railroads operated by state agencies such as the MTA in NY (LIRR and Metro-North), MBTA in MA, and NJT in NJ. Metro-North service on the New Haven line in CT also uses state-owned track, with CT DOT contracting out operations to the NY MTA, and for similar logistical reasons the NY MTA contracts out commuter service on the ex-Erie Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines to NJT.

Farther north, I believe the Vermont Rail system (mostly ex-Rutland) is owned by VT DOT, and in Maine the ex-MEC Rockland Branch is owned by Maine DOT (now leased to Midcoast).

With regard to tourist railroads, here in CT both the Valley RR and the Naugatuck RR/RMNE operate on lines owned by CT DOT.

-Philip Marshall
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