(The following story by Adam Northam appeared on the Daily Leader website on May 20, 2009.)
BROOKHAVEN, Miss. — Brookhaven’s industrial recruitment efforts stand to benefit from a recent change of ownership of the east/west railroad line that crosses Linbrook Business Park on its way from Natchez to Brookhaven, local officials said.
Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President Cliff Brumfield said the acquisition of the 66-mile line by Natchez Railway, LLC – an affiliate of Utah-based A&K Railroad Materials, Inc. – could translate into enhanced development options for Linbrook in the future. The line was recently sold to Natchez Railway by Canadian National Railway, which sold a total of 252 miles of track in Mississippi.
Brumfield said the line has been “instrumental” in previous industrial recruitment efforts and the development of Linbrook, and he is certain the line’s new owners will continue working closely with local industrial leaders.
“I feel certain the new owners of the short line are familiar with Linbrook, and we will work with them to make sure they have all the most recent data regarding our progress,” said Brumfield, who has not yet spoken with A&K representatives. “This will retain our access to the port of Natchez, which could prove to be very beneficial.”
District 92 Rep. Becky Currie said railway officials informed her of the transaction early Wednesday. She welcomed the news.
“I think it’s going to be a good thing for the community,” Currie said. “A privately owned company putting money into the railway is going to want to get business going. They’re going to want to see increased business in this area.”
CN released a statement claiming A&K would maintain the line and preserve traffic for the next two years, though the terms of the transaction were not made public. A&K representatives could not be reached for comment.
CN officials said in a statement the company sold the low-traffic line after deeming it not economically viable to maintain. Though trains on the company’s main north/south line – which dissects downtown Brookhaven on its way from New Orleans to Chicago – rumble through the city several times daily, traffic is rarely forced to stop for the little-used east/west line that runs parallel to Brookway Boulevard.
“Since 2003, CN has been working with Mississippi on its economic development efforts to bring additional business to those routes, but those efforts haven’t created a substantial increase in rail traffic,” said CN Spokesman Patrick Waldron.
Waldron said CN would continue to operate the approximately 600 miles of main track connecting New Orleans and Chicago, and Amtrak passenger trains would also continue to use the line.