SALEM Y & amp;S Railway track to get an upgrade

SALEM -- Work is expected to begin this fall to renovate the former Youngstown & amp; Southern Railway to prepare it for increasing rail traffic.
Earlier this week, the Ohio Rail Development Commission agreed to finance the renovations through a $2.1 million loan to the Columbiana County Port Authority.
The port authority owns the railroad, which passes through Columbiana County and Boardman on its route from Darlington, Pa., to Youngstown.
The line is operated by the Central Columbiana & amp; Pennsylvania Railway under that name. The Central Columbiana is an affiliate of D & amp;R Railroad of Russellville, Ark.
The loan will be paid back by the railway operator through revenue earned by the line, Drake explained.
Improvements to nearly 29 miles of track will include new ties, gravel and ditching along the railway.
Work is to start in October and be completed by January. The Central Columbiana is 36.7 miles long.
But the loan, being from an Ohio agency, will fund only repairs to the Ohio stretch, Drake explained. The Port Authority is seeking funding to upgrade the Pennsylvania section, too.
Drake said the Central Columbiana now has about 2,500 rail cars traveling annually on it.
The nearly 12 businesses that use the line are increasing their usage, however, which will account for about 4,500 more cars annually, bringing the total to about 7,000, Drake said.