The Oklahoma & Kansas Railroad, LLC (OKRL), a subsidiary of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, LCC (Rock Island), will lease and operate approximately 37.26 miles of rail line owned by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (OKDOT) and Blackwell Industrial Authority (BIA), according to the Surface Transportation Board (STB), which has approved the transaction.
The State of Oklahoma, by and through the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), and the Blackwell Industrial Authority (BIA) have petitioned the Surface Transportation Board (STB) for an emergency order allowing the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, LLC (Rock Island) to provide local rail service on the Blackwell Subdivision, 35.3 miles of rail lines owned by ODOT and BIA and leased to the Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad Company (BNGR).
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued an emergency order requiring Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad (BNGR), a Class III railroad headquartered in Blackwell, Okla., to “discontinue operation of all trains, locomotives and any other on-track rail vehicles or equipment under any circumstances,” stating that the short line is operating with “a complete disregard for the safety of the public.”
