CSX right of way sought
(The following article by Don Hammack was posted on the Biloxi Sun Herald website on April 4.)
BILOXI, Miss. – The final push in efforts to acquire the CSX Transportation railroad right of way across South Mississippi is on in Washington.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran is calling for an extra $4.6 billion on top of President Bush’s request of $19 billion. That would include $700 million to acquire the land from CSX, which will move its traffic to other lines inland.
“It’s rerouting and working out business arrangements with other railroads,” said Mississippi Power President Anthony Topazi, who chaired the transportation committee for the Governor’s Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal. “There won’t be a new track that crosses the state of Mississippi.”
Building a new rail line would be a vastly longer proposition, on the order of decades. The right of way could be acquired in a matter of a couple of years.
Cochran’s office said he was working with Gov. Haley Barbour based on Governor’s Commission recommendations.
His vision of the new east-west corridor created in Harrison County would involve relocating U.S. 90 there. That would let Beach Boulevard become a scenic road.
CSX has been tight-lipped about its plans, which probably include entering agreements with competitors to share track that crosses the state farther north. It spent about $250 million to make repairs to the 100 miles of heavily damaged track and bridges between Pascagoula and New Orleans.
Hurricane Katrina highlighted the route’s vulnerability, especially crossing Biloxi Bay, the Bay of St. Louis and the Rigolets and other swampy areas east of New Orleans.
“The question now is do we want to acquire that right of way at this cost,” Topazi said. "It’s a great bargain. You couldn’t go and replace this right of way anywhere near this cost. It’s kind of a once-in-a-lifetim
Very interesting. Don’t know where they could reroute east-west traffic onto existing rail lines and stay within a reasonable distance of the Gulf Coast - KCS’s “Meridian Speedway” is capacity-constrained already, and close to 100 miles north of CSX’s existing alignment; Columbus and Greenville may have capacity, but is 150 miles north of CSX; and NS’s line diagonals across the state from Meridian to New Orleans. Am I missing an existing east-west route south of Jackson?
I think that this is purely wishful thinking on the part of some Congress people and locals. I don’t see the CSX going anywhere. It would be nice to be a few more miles inland, (not 100+), but its not going to happen.
That’s one way to get rid of Amtrak. Use taxpayer dollars to close part of a route. This whole idea smells bad, but if anyone could get it done it would be this administration.
Somebody is getting rich, and somebody is getting screwed. I hope this whole thing dies. Right of way sold, can never be replaced.
Well as I read it the state doesn’t want to buy it to tear it up. It wants to buy it to rehabilitate it and run a regional or something. Since they do not believe CSX wants to keep operating a “vulnerable” railline.
I wouldn’t be too sure about all this… The Speedway is already being given a $300Million makeover by the JV between KCS and NS and CSX has been running their OCS over much of this trackage over the last several months. Also, they could still make connections in NO via the NS if trackage rights were granted. Given the value of what they are selling plus the brand new track they just reinstalled, I’d say CSX could make out pretty darn well.
BTW, the CAGY has most of its center section embargoed due to track conditions and lack of business.
How about that. Buying a functional (busy?) railroad and turning it into a highway to run trucks. How’s that for a kick in the nuts for the less trucks/more trains lobby here in the neighborhood.
I found the article a little confusing. I don’t get what the $4.6 billion on top of the $19 billion is all about. Is the $700 million the offer to CSX? Is the $4.6 billion the cost to the tear up the railroad and build the new expressway? Are these people out of their minds?
Looks like a sneaky way to slide $700 million of the taxpayer’s money to CSX, if you ask me…pure pork
Three years form now they will be whining about being capacity constrained,and plea for for taxpayer assistance to add back capacity. And they STILL won’t have painted their darn bridges. [:D]
How far along is the rehab of the Meridian “Speedway”? Saw the announcement that it would be done, but nothing since then as to when work would start or what progress had been made. There’s no doubt, if any RR could drive a project quickly NS would be the one.
Didn’t know CAGY was partially embargoed. Sad to hear that.
CSX has been toying with this idea almost since the day Katrina hit. I’ve even heard one off the wall rumor of them building an entirely new ROW further inland. Another idea was to use NS to Birmingham before getting back on home rails to FL via Manchester/Waycross, GA. Considering that this not a major artery (i.e. 50+ trains a day like some other lines), doing away with the line might be feasible if NS and/or other RR’s play nice. I’m not gonna hold my breath for construction of a new right of way…