(The following article by Nita McCann was posted on the Natchez Democrat website on June 30.)
NATCHEZ, Miss. — Canadian National, parent of Illinois Central Railroad, is in talks with Kansas-based railroad company Watco to possibly operate the rail between Natchez and Brookhaven.
That’s according to Larry L. “Butch” Brown, executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation and a former Natchez mayor.
In a Monday newspaper notice Illinois Central, which operates the line, said it was considering possible abandonment of the line from Brookhaven all the way to the former International Paper Natchez mill site within three years.
But Brown stressed that doesn’t mean abandonment will happen. In fact, he said MDOT is determined to keep rail service to Natchez one way or the other.
First, an explanation: the federal Surface Transportation Board requires railroads to submit to the board, and publish, a map of their statewide system on a regular basis.
If the railroad is even considering the possibility of abandoning a line in the next three years, the notice must also include that information, Brown said.
However, Brown acknowledged Canadian National/Illinois Central has experienced a decrease in revenues on the line in recent years.
“As a citizen and businessman in Natchez, I’m concerned greatly that there are diminishing traffic and revenues being generated on that track, and I can see why CN/IC would be concerned,” Brown said.
And MDOT is taking action. MDOT officials and an ad hoc committee of the Legislature have met with CN/IC officials.
“And Hunter Harrison, president of the railroad and a friend of mine, has promised me they’ll contact me” when a decision is made, Brown said. “Meanwhile, we have taken the liberty of introducing Watco (to CN/IC), and they are in discussions with CN/IC.”
Watco is a Kansas-based short railroad line operator that might be interested in operating the Natchez-to-Brookhaven line if CN/IC doesn’t, Brown said.
Neither CN/IC nor Watco representatives could be reached for comment.
If such a deal fell through, MDOT could operate the line, since the Legislature authorized it a couple of years ago to own and operate railroad lines.
That’s not the preferred option, Brown said, “but we’re committed to providing rail service ourselves if we have to.”
Officials of the Economic Development Authority have been in discussions for months with IP about acquiring the former mill site as the site of an industrial park.
However, neither EDA Chairman Woody Allen nor Vice Chairman James West could be reached Wednesday afternoon to comment on how the possible loss of rail service would affect those plans.