The state of Ohio is seeking after-the-fact federal authority to acquire a 43.2-mile rail line between North Warren and Ashtabula, more than four decades after the line came under state ownership.
The state filed a verified notice of exemption with the Surface Transportation Board covering USRA Line No. 714, which extends from milepost 81.1 near North Warren to milepost 124.3 near Ashtabula.
According to the filing, the line was originally part of the Pennsylvania Railroad and later Penn Central Transportation Co. The Ohio Rail Transportation Authority acquired the line in 1981, with title registered in the name of the state…