MaineDOT
Maine Switching Services (MSS) will operate and maintain the state-owned Rockland Branch Railroad, according to MaineDOT, which selected the privately owned rail services company from the five respondents to its September 2024 Request for Proposals.
From 2022 until August 2024, Midcoast Railservice Inc. ran the 56-mile Brunswick-to-Rockland line (see map, right). In an Aug. 16, 2024, Surface Transportation Board (STB) filing, the company reported that it had been operating at an average loss of approximately $65,000 per month after losing its primary shipper in late 2023.
“MSS intends to resume freight service to existing rail customers on the Rockland Branch this spring and offer scenic train rides and rail excursions by this fall,” MaineDOT reported Jan. 9, 2025. “This will preserve active rail service while MaineDOT continues to evaluate significant bridge infrastructure needs on the line. MSS’s proposal does not involve providing host railroad services for an Amtrak Downeaster extension on the Rockland Branch Railroad.”
According to MaineDOT, MSS already provides railcar repair in Unity, Maine, and industrial railcar switching for paper mills in Rumford and Skowhegan, Maine; it also operates on the state-owned Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad in cooperation with the Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railway.
MaineDOT reported that it will enter into negotiations with MSS on a lease and operating agreement over the next 60 days while MSS obtains operating rights from the STB and other required certifications.
“We believe MSS has the experience necessary to provide high-quality freight service for customers on the Rockland Branch Railroad,” MaineDOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note said. “We look forward to growing our partnership with MSS as we work together to overcome the challenges created by the closure of the major freight shipper on the line, Dragon Cement.”
Further Reading:
Pinsly
North Florida Industrial Railroad has entered into an agreement with Columbia County, Fla., to be rail operator of the 2,622-acre North Florida Mega Industrial Park in Lake City, the railroad’s parent company, Jacksonville, Fla.-based Pinsly, reported Jan. 10. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval.
North Florida Mega Industrial Park, which includes a 500-acre CSX Select Site, has been in development by Columbia County and Weyerhaeuser for more than 15 years, according to Pinsly. The park, which recently announced its first tenant, liquid fertilizer manufacturer AgroLiquid, is served by the east-west line of Pinsly’s Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad, which runs parallel to U.S. Highway 90 connecting Jacksonville to Pensacola, and connects with CSX to the east in Baldwin and to the west in Pensacola. A nearby Norfolk Southern line presents the potential for dual-carrier service.
“We are excited to be the rail partner for AgroLiquid, providing transportation that will benefit the agricultural economy in Florida,” said Cassie Dull, Chief Commercial Officer of Pinsly Railroad Company. “We also look forward to working with Columbia County on future developments within the park, which will greatly benefit the surrounding communities. There is a lot of potential for growth in the northeast Florida region, and we’re only in the beginning phases.”
Pinsly subsidiaries also include the Pioneer Valley Railroad in Massachusetts; Grenada Railroad in Central Mississippi, which earned Honorable Mention in Railway Age’s 2021 Short Line and Regional Railroad Awards program; Hondo Railway in Texas; and Chesapeake and Indiana Railroad, Camp Chase Railway and Vermilion Valley Railroad in the Midwest.
Separately, Kristin Bevil, Pinsly’s General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer, was selected as a 2024 Railway Age Women in Rail honoree and recently joined the Short Line Safety Institute’s Board of Directors.
OmniTRAX
OmniTRAX on Jan. 9 reported contributing to 42 nonprofits—including food banks, fire departments, youth and family services, and local United Way chapters—in 32 markets across its rail network through its 2024 Good Neighbor Giving Program.
The program distributes hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to local non-profit organizations spanning from California to Colorado, Illinois to Ohio, and New Jersey to Florida, with the guidance of local teams and community leaders, according to OmniTRAX, the rail affiliate of The Broe Group.
Good Neighbor Program community donations are further supported by local employee volunteer service from its rail affiliates, including: Alabama & Tennessee River Railway, Brownsville & Rio Grande International Railway, Carlton Trail Railway Company, Chicago Rail Link, Cleveland Port Railway, Cleveland & Cuyahoga Railway, Fulton County Railway, Georgia & Florida Railway, Georgia Woodlands Railroad, Great Western Railway of Colorado, Illinois Railway, Kettle Falls International Railway, Mount Vernon Railroad, Nebraska, Kansas & Colorado Railway, Northern Ohio & Western Railway, Panhandle Northern Railroad, Peru Industrial Railroad, Port of Catoosa Industrial Railroad, River Ridge Railroad, Newburgh & South Shore Railroad, Sand Springs Railway Company, Savannah Industrial Transportation, Sonoran Valley Rail, Stockton Terminal and Eastern Railroad, South Branch Valley Railroad, and Winchester and Western Railway.
“Investing in the communities that we serve is an important part of being a good neighbor,” OmniTRAX CEO Dean Piacente said. “Across the OmniTRAX network, our team is actively involved in our local communities. We share a collective commitment to help our neighbors in need and we know that by working with our local partners we make our communities stronger.”
Separately, OmniTRAX was selected in June 2024 as the exclusive rail operator for Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon and launched services on Aug. 1, 2024. Its 8.2-mile Mount Vernon Railroad coordinates rail connections and assembles outbound trains for daily interchange with the Evansville Western Railway, which provides direct access to BNSF, CSX, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific. Also, OmniTRAX in September reported acquiring Central Arizona Commerce Park’s rail infrastructure and remaining park acreage, and in November reported landing P&G Manufacturing Company’s Lima, Ohio, plant switching contract.
