Gulf Coast Switching reaches 10-year milestone

Anacostia Rail Holdings Co.'s Gulf Coast Switching Co. (GCSC) recently marked its 10th anniversary. The company launched operations on Oct. 1, 2008.

GCSC provides switching and freight-car storage services in the Houston area and currently handles about 18,000 carloads annually.

The company recently won a contract to begin switching cars at a new staging yard in Angleton, Texas, beginning Jan. 1. Although the yard's initial capacity is 500 cars, there are plans to expand the facility in the future, Anacostia officials said in a press release.

GCSC also has extended its contract to switch and store cars at the 3,000-car Robinson Yard in Dayton, Texas. The Union Pacific Railroad yard serves Exxon's nearby Baytown plastics plant, which manufactures various high- and low-density polyethylene products.

To accommodate the business growth, GCSC is increasing service in Dayton to seven days per week and adding a crew for the new Angleton service.

"We're proud to reach this 10-year milestone and to be part of the petrochemical boom in the Houston area," said GCSC President Leigh Walters.