advertisement

---

The Jackson County Port Authority recently appropriated $35,000 to help fund a study on the feasibility of building a rail line from east-central Mississippi to ports in Pascagoula, Miss., and Mobile, Ala.

The Regional Railroad Authority of East Mississippi would oversee construction of about 45 miles of track from Waynesboro to Lucedale. The railroad authority has requested $225 million in federal funding for the project.

The county port authority is supporting the project because the Port of Pascagoula soon will have access to two Class Is, said Port Director Mark McAndrews in a prepared statement. Meridian Southern Railroad recently received Surface Transportation Board approval to connect to a Norfolk Southern Railway line, he said. In addition, the port is served by CSX Transportation and Mississippi Export Railroad, which interchanges with CN.

The port authority also has received inquiries from wood pellet producers seeking to locate plants in areas with better rail access, said McAndrews.