Guest Opinion Column by Michael Van Wagenen
GUEST OPINION COLUMN
By Michael Van Wagenen
Vice President
Grenada Railway, LLC
Natchez Railway, LLC
Grenada Railway, LLC & Natchez Railway, LLC are very pleased to be new members of Mississippi’s railroad & transportation communities. Our recent acquisition of the Grenada Branch Line, Water Valley Branch Line & the Natchez Branch Line from CN, upon approval by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, will add great benefit to the communities and customers up-and-down these Lines, the state’s shortline & Class 1 railroads, and economic development prospects for Mississippi. We are thrilled to be a part of this state’s business community.
Our acquisition of roughly 300 track miles from Southaven to north of Canton and Natchez to Brookhaven will make these railroads one of the largest shortline operators in Mississippi and we believe the shared business experiences with our affiliate carrier in Kansas and Colorado, V & S Railway, will add value to our successful operations in the Magnolia State.
First, let us put everyone at ease & dispel some misconceptions about Grenada Railway & Natchez Railway. These railroad companies are not subsidiaries of A&K Railroad Materials, Inc., the nation’s leading supplier of new and used materials to shortline railroads. These railroad companies do share common ownership with A&K, but each are separate & independent business units. Our intent in purchasing these Lines from CN is not to abandon these Lines and salvage the rail & other materials, but rather we plan to do the exact opposite. We understand the importance of the Lines and good freight rail service to these communities and we intend to turn each Line into profitable and healthy railroads for many years to come.
To the businesses on these Lines: we look forward to doing continued business with our existing customers. As a shortline operator we believe you will be pleased with our service in meeting your transportation needs. We also look forward to reaching out to existing and new businesses on these Lines who utilize some other means of transporting freight to domestic and international markets. Grenada Railway & Natchez Railway want your business and we will work with you to create a customized and efficient plan for carrying your goods to any point in North America.
To local government and economic development officials along the Lines: we hope to build strong, long-lasting relationships with each of you in the coming weeks. We stand ready to be a key part of your community’s transportation infrastructure. We understand good freight rail service is important to economic development and job retention/creation efforts and we want to be partners in achieving these outcomes. We met with many local and state officials earlier this month on our business goals in Mississippi and we believe there is strong and unified support for making these Lines viable and healthy. We are thankful that Mississippi has a pro-business orientation and the leadership to help industries grow. We are very pleased to be doing business in a state such as Mississippi.
Thank you for giving us an opportunity to introduce ourselves to you and your community. We plan to be a long-lasting fixture in Mississippi as we work with all public and private organizations to improve business opportunities for our brand new neighbors.