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Surface Transportation Board Sept. 3 granted Alamo North Texas Railroad Corp. final approval to construct and operate a 2.25-mile rail line extending from a Union Pacific Railroad connection to a quarry near Chico, Texas.


Alamo North parent company Martin Marietta Materials Southwest Ltd. operates the quarry, mining limestone aggregates that currently are trucked to customers primarily in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.


Alamo North officials believe the line will enable the company to offer some existing customers rail service, entice new customers in other eastern Texas markets (including Houston) and reduce transportation costs tied to trucking.


The board in November 2001 conditionally granted Alamo North's petition to construct and operate the line, subject to environmental review.


An environmental analysis completed earlier this year determined the line would not significantly affect the environment's quality if Alamo North enacted recommended mitigation measures, including changes to existing biological resources, transportation, a pipeline crossing and land use, plus new procedures pertaining to transportation, a stream crossing and air pollution.