Norfolk Southern Will Clean The Dayton Abandoned Tracks!

This is the Norfolk Southern rail line in the Hearthstone neighborhood of Dayton. The city and rail company agreed on cleaning the tracks. The company wants Dayton to pay $8 million for its removal.

Struggling railroad company refuses to sell the city of Dayton, Ohio the abandoned railroad line on the east side of the city. It was abandoned in 2017. The city wanted to make it a rail to trail but the railroad company wanted $8 million for the line.

The company said that the tracks are still worth saving despite no industrial businesses exist on that line.

The rail line was last used in 2010 when Delphi was still associated with General Motors. It was replaced with Tenneco and it has since left Dayton.

The rail line is over 100 years old and the tracks have vegetation. There are trees growing on the tracks. The railroad signals are over 70 years old and are literally rusting like the city.

Norfolk Southern continues to struggle as it is facing controversy from the East Palestine derailment. They are considering a merger with Union Pacific to starve off the potential bankruptcy that is coming.

The city and its embattled mayor Jeffrey Mims have long complained about Norfolk Southern not taking care of its corridors.

Now the city reached an agreement to clean up the rail line from downtown to Kettering and the rail line from the scrap yard to the Produce One facility.

Norfolk Southern has removed the gates declaring the tracks abandoned but not exempt.