STB Issues Final EA on Proposed CSXT, CPKC Acquisitions of Ala., Miss. Rail Line
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
This map shows the lines of Genesee & Wyoming-owned Meridian & Bigbee Railroad (MNBR) in relation to other rail lines in the territory and the principal geographic points in the region traversed. (Map Courtesy of CPKC)
The Surface Transportation Board’s (STB) Office of Environmental Analysis on May 3 issued a Final Environmental Assessment (EA) for CSX Transportation’s request to acquire and operate the assets comprising the rail line of Genesee & Wyoming-owned Class III Meridian & Bigbee Railroad (MNBR) that runs about 93.7 miles between Burkville and Myrtlewood, Ala., and Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s (CPKC) request to acquire from MNBR and to operate some 50.4 miles of rail line between Meridian, Miss., and Myrtlewood, Ala.
The Class I railroads are seeking STB approval to establish a new interchange connection at Myrtlewood that would expand their shipping options for intermodal, automotive, and other traffic moving between the Southeastern United States and the Southwestern United States or Mexico. The STB on Nov. 3, 2023, accepted for consideration their applications. Its Office of Environmental Analysis released a Draft EA in March; the public comment period closed April 17.
According to the STB, the Final EA responds to comments received on the Draft EA and sets forth the Office of Environmental Analysis’s final recommendations, including final recommended mitigation measures. It covers noise and vibration, environmental justice, air quality, and grade crossing delay. Issuance of the Final EA completes the STB’s environmental review. The STB will now consider the transportation merits of the applications for the CSXT and CPKC transactions, and the entire environmental record, as part of its final decisions.
