CSX Tracks Along the Mississippi Gulf Coast

[CB_Fan]

Some of us are very concerned about the proposal to relocate the CSX east-west line from along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. If you would like to be placed on the email list for our newsletter, The Hummingbird, please send me an email at [e-mail] and please indicate that you are a member of this Trains.com forum.

The Senate has passed a spending bill that includes some $700 million dollars to assist in the CSX moving away from the coast, and we understand they are looking at routing east-west traffic through Montgomery, AL to Meridian where it will either join the Meridian Speedway (KCS) to Shreveport or take NS to New Orleans. This will essentially eliminate through east-west traffic through Mobile and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast to New Orleans. This after the CSX has just spent $250 million to rebuild the line following the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. (Why should we, the taxpayers, subsidize this relocation? I understand the House and President Bush also question this. The spending bill in question was to fund the Iraq war and Katrina recovery.)

Another piece of the puzzle, we understand, is to rip up the present CSX trackage and relocate US Hwy. 90 from along the beach to the present CSX roadbed. Although it's said this is to speed evacuation in the event of another hurricane, perhaps the most important reason for doing this is to provide more room for casinos and condos along the beach. Not only would this hide the beach from future travelers, it would likely make it impossible to ever come back and add high speed passenger rail along the Gulf Coast -- and that's something I feel will eventually be needed as our area continues to grow and as we look for more energy-efficient forms of transportation.

Moving this line would also interfere with the growing industry along the coast including the Northrup-Grumman (Ingalls) shipyard and a huge Chevron refinery in Pascagoula, movement of military equipment from/to the SeaBee base in Gulfport and Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg, Miss.

We would appreciate your questions and comments (may we publi***hem with your name?), and your support.

George

[samfp1943]

My gut feeling is that this issue is deeper than being openly discussed, either way the federal taxpayer's oxen will get gored, one more time.
The money has been allocated at the federal level, the people of the Gulf Coast will have to decide what they want most, a clear view of the beach from their front windows or jobs and employment in ports served by rail access. When Trent Lott rebuilds the family home he won't have to worry about noisey trains, and John Snow will have delivered to the CSX a fat hog to butcher.
MY thoughts.

Sam