Title 49, Title 49. Public Utilities

There is hereby created in the state treasury the federal rail fund. The fund shall consist of money received pursuant to section 4981.08 of the Revised Code and such other money as may be provided by law. The fund shall be used to acquire, rehabilitate, or develop rail property …

As long as such action does not violate covenants made on behalf of or for the benefit of the holders of bonds, notes, or other obligations of the Ohio rail development commission, the Ohio rail development commission may purchase any portion of the rail property of a railroad co…

(A) "Commission" means the Ohio rail development commission created in section 4981.02 of the Revised Code, the duties, powers, responsibilities, and functions of which are specified in this chapter.(B) "Bond" means revenue bonds, notes, or other obligations including current or …

(A) The general assembly hereby finds and declares that increasing requirements for rail service for the people of the state and escalating costs of providing such rail service have created inordinate demands upon the financial resources of the state, qualifying subdivisions, pri…

To accomplish the public policies and purposes and to meet the responsibility of the state as set forth in this chapter, the Ohio rail development commission may directly undertake and implement and make loans to qualifying subdivisions, local or regional transportation authoriti…

(A) The power and authority provided by this chapter to qualifying subdivisions and local or regional transportation authorities to borrow for permitted loan purposes is in addition and supplemental to, not in derogation of, any other power or authority provided by law for the sa…

(A) The Ohio rail development commission may exercise all powers necessary or appropriate to carry out its corporate purposes. (B) The commission may do all of the following:(1) Adopt, and from time to time, ratify, amend, and repeal bylaws necessary and proper for the regulation…

(A) The Ohio rail development commission, from time to time, may issue bonds in such principal amounts as the commission finds necessary to finance one or more rail service projects. Sections 9.98 to 9.983 of the Revised Code are hereby made applicable in their entirety to any bo…

The Ohio rail development commission may make the following determinations in connection with any issuance of its bonds:(A) The number, location, and other characteristics of projects, including to the extent reasonably possible, assurance that the projects to be financed by bond…

(A) In the discretion of the Ohio rail development commission, the bonds may be secured by a trust agreement or indenture of mortgage between the issuer and a corporate trustee, which may be any trust company or bank having the powers of a trust company within or without this sta…

(A) Any holder of bonds issued pursuant to sections 4981.11 to 4981.26 of the Revised Code or a trustee under a trust agreement or indenture of mortgage entered into pursuant to section 4981.17 of the Revised Code, except to the extent that their rights are restricted by the bond…

All bonds issued under sections 4981.11 to 4981.26 of the Revised Code are lawful investments of banks, societies for savings, savings and loan associations, deposit guarantee associations, trust companies, trustees, fiduciaries, insurance companies, including domestic for life a…

(A) Any real or personal property, or both, of the Ohio rail development commission that is acquired, constructed, reconstructed, enlarged, improved, furnished, or equipped, or any combination thereof, and leased or subleased under authority of sections 4981.11 to 4981.26 of the …

When a special assessment is made on real property owned by the Ohio rail development commission and leased under authority of sections 4981.11 to 4981.26 of the Revised Code, the installments of the assessment shall be paid by the lessee of such real property so long as such pro…

The Ohio rail development commission may issue refunding bonds to refund any bonds it previously issued under sections 4981.11 to 4981.26 of the Revised Code, for any of the following purposes:(A) Refunding bonds which have matured or are about to mature when the rentals, revenue…

Any political subdivision, taxing district, or other public body of this state, without competitive bidding, may convey or exchange with the Ohio rail development commission, for use in connection with a project, any or all of its interests in real or personal property, or both, …

In accordance with Section 13 of Article VIII, Ohio Constitution, the state, acting through the Ohio rail development commission, for the purpose of implementing rail service, may by resolution designate a corporation organized under Chapter 1702. or 1724. of the Revised Code as …

(A) A project of the Ohio rail development commission shall not be subject to the requirements relating to public buildings, structures, grounds, works, or improvements imposed by section 125.81, 713.02, or 713.25 of the Revised Code or any other similar requirements that may be …

(A) The general assembly hereby finds and declares that it is in the public interest for private corporations or organizations to participate in the providing of rail service through the financing, design, construction, reconstruction, operation, and maintenance by private person…

(A) In addition to the powers contained in section 4981.14 of the Revised Code, the Ohio rail development commission may do all of the following:(1) Notwithstanding division (A) of section 4981.04 of the Revised Code, adopt a plan for private participation in the financing, desig…

(A) The Ohio rail development commission, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, shall adopt, and may amend and rescind, rules governing the process whereby a private corporation or organization may apply to the commission for a franchise for all or part of a rail s…

(A) The award by the Ohio rail development commission of a franchise for all or part of a rail system shall be the sole license required for a franchisee to exercise all specified franchise powers and enjoy all specified franchise rights. The franchise shall be for a term of not …

(A) A franchise agreement shall authorize the franchisee to do all of the following:(1) Acquire and dispose of real and personal property and request the Ohio rail development commission to appropriate real property for sale to the franchisee in accordance with division (A)(5) of…

(A) The Ohio rail development commission shall review all plans and specifications of a franchisee for its portion of a rail system to ensure that the plans and specifications conform to commission standards, and shall inspect and approve the construction of all portions of the r…

(A) On behalf of a franchisee and pursuant to section 4981.15 of the Revised Code, the Ohio rail development commission may issue bonds for loans to finance development and construction of a franchisee's portion of a rail system. Any bonds issued pursuant to this section do not, …

The "Interstate High Speed Intercity Rail Passenger Network Compact" is hereby ratified, enacted into law and entered into by the state of Ohio with all other states legally joining therein the form substantially as follows:"INTERSTATE HIGH SPEED INTERCITY RAIL PASSENGERNETWORK C…

In any overall programmatic environmental impact study or other comprehensive high-speed rail project development study, the department of transportation and the rail development commission shall include all federally designated high-speed rail corridors in Ohio and all passenger…

No person shall draw, drive, or cause to be moved any vehicle on or between the rails or tracks or on or along the graded roadway of a railroad without the knowledge and consent of the owner or controller of such railroad, unless compelled by necessity to do so. Whoever violates …

No person shall climb, jump, step, or stand upon, or cling or attach himself to, a locomotive, engine, or car upon the track of a railroad, unless in compliance with law or by permission under the rules of the corporation managing such railroad. Whoever violates this section is g…

No person shall, at a place other than a private crossing or for a purpose other than crossing a railroad, ride or drive a horse or other domestic animal into an enclosure of a railroad or knowingly permit such animal to go into or remain in such enclosure, or place feed, salt, o…

(A) No person in charge of a locomotive shall fail to bring the locomotive to a full stop at least two hundred feet before arriving at a crossing with another track, or proceed through the crossing before signaled to do so or before the way is clear. (B)(1) Whoever violates this …

No person or company owning, operating, or controlling a railroad shall employ as a flagman, hostler, or assistant hostler, a person who cannot read, write, and speak the English language. Whoever violates this section shall be fined not less than five hundred nor more than one t…

No superintendent, trainmaster, or other employee of a railroad shall send or cause to be sent outside of yard limits, a passenger train of not more than five cars, any one of which carries passengers, with a crew consisting of less than one engineer, one fireman, one conductor, …

(A) The requirements set forth in division (B) of this section are solely related to safety, including ensuring that no train or light engine used in connection with the movement of freight in this state is left without a functional crew person as a result of a medical emergency.…

No person, railroad company, private corporation, county, municipal corporation, or township shall violate any law relating to the height of bridges, viaducts, overhead roadways, footbridges, wires, or other structures constructed over the tracks of a railroad. Whoever violates t…

No person or company owning, operating, or controlling a railroad shall erect or permit to be erected, place, or maintain along said railroad, a mail crane or livestock chute, any portion of which approaches nearer than eighteen inches to the nearest point of contact with the cab…

No superintendent, conductor, or other officer or employee of a railroad company, shall refuse or neglect, upon receiving notice from the inspector appointed by the public utilities commission, of a defective coupler or brake, to have it repaired forthwith or, on receiving notice…

No railroad company shall contract to employ a person in a position which requires such person to distinguish form or color signals, unless within two years preceding such date he has been examined for color blindness, in the distinct colors in actual use by such company by a com…

No railroad company, or its superintendent, or manager, employing any special agent, detective, or person commonly known as "spotter" for the purpose of investigating, obtaining, and reporting to the employer, its agent, superintendent, or manager, information concerning its empl…

No officer, agent, or other person acting for or in behalf of a railroad company operating ten or more miles of its railroad for the carrying or transporting of passengers or freight over its railroad within this state which fails to erect and maintain telegraph or telephone wire…

No agent of a railroad company shall knowingly divert or permit freight under his control to be diverted from the railroads over which it is ordered to be conveyed by the shipper of such freight. Whoever violates this section shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars or im…

No railroad employee who has a seniority roster date on the effective date of the repeal of sections 4999.07 and 4999.08 of the Revised Code shall be removed from his employment or have his seniority rights or vacation or other fringe benefits reduced by reason of such repeal.Any…