The town of Gloster, Mississippi, is moving to acquire and restore a 32.7-mile railroad line between Mississippi and Louisiana that has not seen common-carrier service since 2010.
The municipality filed a verified notice of exemption with the Surface Transportation Board to acquire the line from Gloster Southern Railroad Company. The route extends from milepost 0.0 at Slaughter, Louisiana, to milepost 32.7 at Gloster.
Gloster is finalizing an agreement to purchase the railroad with plans to return it to service, according to the filing.
The line will require extensive rehabilitation before it can again accommodate rail traffic. The town said restoring service would provide a transportation link for the region’s forest products industry, including meeting the logistical needs of a sawmill that began operating in 2024.
The project is being supported by a $52 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program.
Gloster, a municipal corporation that is not currently a rail carrier, told federal regulators that projected annual revenue from the operation is not expected to exceed $5 million and that the operation would not make the town a Class I or Class II railroad.
The proposed acquisition agreement also does not include an interchange commitment, according to the filing.
The transaction may be completed beginning Aug. 21, when the exemption becomes effective. Petitions seeking to stay the exemption are due Aug. 14, while petitions to revoke may be filed at any time.
The town said the transaction is categorically excluded from environmental review and historic preservation reporting requirements.
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