New Short Line in North Carolina

Jaguar Transport Holdings on Aug. 1 began operating the Kinston Railroad (KNR), its ninth short line.

Joplin, Mo.-based Jaguar said that it acquired leasehold rights to approximately six miles of track owned by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). Previously, the Kinston & Snow Hill Railroad Co., Inc. (KSHR) operated the line.

KNR interchanges with Norfolk Southern (NS) in Kinston, N.C., and terminates at the 2,500-acre North Carolina Global TransPark, also in Kinston (see map below).

Transportation and logistics firm Jaguar—in partnership with OPTrust, one of Canada’s largest pension plans—began operating the Charlotte Western Railroad, also in North Carolina under lease with NCDOT, in May. It also runs the Missouri Eastern Railroad (Missouri); Cimarron Valley Railroad (with service in Kansas, Oklahoma and Colorado); Washington Eastern Railroad (Washington state); Texas and Eastern Railroad (Texas); Southwestern Railroad (New Mexico); Oregon Eastern Railroad (Oregon); West Memphis Base Railroad (Arkansas); and tourist line Texas State Railroad.  

“We are excited for the opportunity to establish our second operation in North Carolina and grow our partnership with NCDOT,” Jaguar CEO Stu Towner said. “Connected to a modern industrial park and located in close proximity to multiple deep-water ports, we think this railroad will allow us to provide excellent service to current and future customers and earn the right to grow alongside them and the local community.”