Grenada Railway seeks to close 81-mile line

Grenada Railway’s petition to abandon 81.3 miles of line in six Mississippi counties, announced Friday by the Surface Transportation Board, has drawn strong local opposition.

The Mississippi Transportation Commission, requesting an oral hearing, said the abbreviated abandonment process sought by the railroad “is unwarranted and inappropriate in that Grenada Railway has had the line for only two years.”

Grenada is seeking to abandon the southern portion of its line running from Grenada to Canton through the counties of Grenada, Montgomery, Carroll, Holmes, Yazoo, and Madison.

Grenada acquired the former Illinois Central line from Canadian National in May 2009. At that time, Phillip Heard, executive director of the Grenada Chamber of Commerce, commented: “We have several companies tat currently use rail. If the lone were to close, it would reduce their operations dramatically.”

Mississippi Transportation Commission Chairman Dick Hall said: “It is the commission’s duty, as the overseer of Mississippi’s intermodal transportation system, to make sure that Grenada Railway’s proposed railline abandonment is done in the correct manner. This abandonment will affect six Mississippi counties directly, plus numerous industries and citizens who depend on the rail line. If this abandonment really is necessary it should go through the customary process and not be ‘fast tracked.’ The affected businesses and communities should have every opportunity to be heard before any final decision is made.”