By Staff
May 6, 2004
It was good news to learn the other day that Meridian Southern Railway will spend $250,000 to refurbish a 55-mile stretch of railroad it owns in Clarke and Wayne counties. East Mississippi economic development officials have said 2,000 jobs held by Clarke and Wayne county residents depend on the repair and upgrade of the stretch of railroad track.
Officials with the East Mississippi Business Development Corp., as well as economic development districts and boards of supervisors in Clarke and Wayne counties, are working to obtain federal funding to match what the railroad is putting up.
Arthur Miller, the managing director of Alabama-based Rail Transportation Management Specialists, said Meridian Southern's commitment will help reach the goal. The state may put up a $250,000 grant if funding is available from the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
The track links Waynesboro and Meridian, where it then connects with Kansas City Southern Railroad and other carriers. Some of the track is believed to be nearly a century old and few repairs have been made over the past three decades.
The biggest plant that could suffer from the condition of the railroad is Waynesboro's Marshall-Durbin grain storage and blending plant, a chicken hatchery business dependent on rail. The plant is responsible for about 1,200 jobs in Mississippi and Alabama.
Federal authorities should take the next essential step by approving funds that will complement Meridian Southern's commitment so that this stretch of track can be repaired for the benefit of the entire community.