Vehr Communications was engaged in early 2022 by the Board of Trustees of the Cincinnati Southern Railway (CSR) as it considered selling this centuries-old, 337-mile rail line between Cincinnati and Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was the only municipally owned rail line in the United States and was proposed for sale to Norfolk Southern Railway Company, an affiliate of Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC).

Vehr provided communications counsel to the CSR Board as it sought the support of Cincinnati City Council, the Mayor of Cincinnati, the Ohio Legislature and the Governor of Ohio. With that support, the proposed sale was presented as Issue 22 to Cincinnati voters on November 7, 2023. The ballot issue required that all future proceeds be placed in a trust fund that could only be used to support Cincinnati infrastructure and community renovation projects for future generations.

Vehr also helped the Board generate broad public awareness and understanding of how Cincinnati and its citizens would benefit if the railroad were sold. Before its sale, the CSR rail line generated annual lease revenue of approximately $25 million.

The WIN
On election day in 2023, Cincinnati voters passed Issue 22 with 52% of the vote. The sale closed on March 15, 2024, for $1.62 billion and sale proceeds were used to establish the Cincinnati Southern Railway Trust Fund. Vehr continued to work with the CSR Board in the following year.

As of September 2025, the CSR Trust Fund was valued at $1.83 billion, an increase of approximately 13% over the sale price. In the City of Cincinnati’s FY 2025 – 2026 budget, the CSR Trust Fund provided $56 million for 35 transportation, engineering, parks and recreation and health-related improvements as well as existing facility renovations and repairs.