CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Southern Railway board of trustees will decide in July whether to place the proposed sale of the city-owned railroad on the November ballot, WVXU Radio reports.
The city has agreed to sell the railroad, the nation’s only municipally owned interstate rail line, to Norfolk Southern for $1.62 billion. But city voters are required to approve the deal, and a recent legislative deal that allows the city to use the money for infrastructure improvements required the vote to occur this year or next [see “Ohio legislature passes bill allowing Cincinnati Southern sale to proceed,” Trains News Wire, March 30, 2023].
The board has tentatively scheduled a special meeting for July 11 to decide whether to send the issues to voters this year or wait until 2024. Board President Paul Muething said if the board chooses to place the matter on the November ballot, it will do so at that meeting. It would then go to the Cincinnati City Council for approval of the ballot language, a formality which must occur at least 90 days before the election.
Share this article
