Oklahoma short line gets trackage rights

The Surface Transportation Board Wednesday announced approval of a trackage rights exemption sought be WFEC Railroad Co. "to grant limited nonexclusive overhead trackage rights to Kiamichi Railroad LLC (KRR), over its entire line" of roughly 15 miles.

“The purpose of the transaction is to permit KRR to provide rail service between the Hugo electric generating station and other Western Farmers’ [Electric Cooperative, Inc. facilities located on or adjacent to the Line, or which may locate on or adjacent to the Line in the future, and connections to the lines of KRR and other rail carriers,” STB said.

The line links Western Farmers’ Hugo, Okla., electric generating station to connections with the Texas, Oklahoma & Eastern Railroad Co., in Valiant, Okla.; the latter railroad, with headquarters in DeQueen, Ark., is a subsidiary of Weyerhauser Corp.

Kiamichi Railroad, based in Hugo, Okla., is owned by Jacksonville-Fla.-based RailAmerica. KRR operates over about 261 miles of route in southeast Oklahoma, southwest Arkansas, and northeast Texas, and has interchange points with BNSF, Kansas City Southern, and Union Pacific.

STB noted it previously granted KRR certain authority to operate over the line in 2002.

The full decision is available at www.stb.dot.gov.