(The Associated Press distributed the following article on July 25.)
CLARION, Miss. — Canadian National Railway Co. is working with state officials to keep two of its Mississippi rail lines, says the railroad’s president.
“We have been intensely studying how to maintain service on these lines,” said E. Hunter Harrison, CN’s president and chief executive officer. “We will explore every possible means not only to retain our rail system but also to grow our rail business in concert with increased economic development in the state.”
When the International Paper plant in Natchez announced it would close this year, CN officials said they would lose about half the business on its Grenada line and more than that on its Brook-haven-Natchez line.
Steve Hale, executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority, said the rail service is vital to economic development along the lines, because many key industries rely on the rail line for shipping.
Discussions are being held with the MDA, the Mississippi Department of Transportation and the state’s congressional delegation in an effort to keep the lines operating, Harrison said Thursday that
CN and Mississippi officials said this week that the state may offer economic benefits.
“The subject has been broached,” said railroad spokesman Jack Burke.
Hale said details of plans to save the rail line are still being worked out.
Last month, Tessenderlo Davison Chemicals dropped plans to locate a storage and mixing facility in Natchez because of concerns over the future of rail service to the area. Forty jobs were involved in the move.
Burke said CN is studying several options for the 65-mile branch line from Brookhaven to Natchez, and the 180-mile section of the Grenada District line from Memphis to Canton. He would not elaborate.
The Grenada District line is one of two north-south CN routes from Memphis to Jackson.