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North Rail Connector Project

PROJECT WEBSITE: http://www.portofpascagoula.com

All dates below are specific to the schedule of the Environmental Review and Permitting processes for this project.

Complete

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING STATUS
COMPLETE

icon_calendar

COMPLETION DATE OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING
12/13/2021

2 out of 2

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING PROCESSES
COMPLETED

Surface Transportation

SECTOR
Surface Transportation

Project Category

CATEGORY
Project Category DOT Projects

Department of Transportation

LEAD AGENCY
Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration

Description:

The Jackson County Port Authority (JCPA) in partnership with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) propose to construct the North Rail Connector (the Project).  The Project would connect existing rail owned by Mississippi Export Railroad (MSE) that crosses over the Escatawpa River in Moss Point, Mississippi, to existing JCPA-owned rail that crosses through the Moss Point Industrial and Technology Complex (MPITC) and provides access to the Port of Pascagoula, Bayou Casotte Harbor.

The purpose of the Project is to provide additional railroad capacity and connectivity to support the growing needs of the Port of Pascagoula, Bayou Casotte Harbor. Currently, freight trains that travel from the north on the MSE line must pass through downtown Moss Point and Pascagoula to the Pascagoula Interchange to join CSX rail.  This operation regularly blocks road traffic and creates delays at four major roadway intersections.  Also, the curve alignment from the existing MSE line entering into the MPITC is too tight for the expected length of train to travel through the area safely. The Project would remove operational conflicts between railroads, reduce congestion, and accommodate the proposed restoration of passenger rail service.

The location of the North Rail Connector would be in Section 19, Township 7 South, and Range 5 West of Jackson County, Mississippi. The approximate center point of the proposed rail is at 30.415546 degrees latitude and -88.514452 degrees longitude. The new rail would extend from mile post 2.89 (30.251207/-88.310005), at the northern project limits, to mile post 2.05 (30.413308/-88.508269) on the east where it would join existing rail.  Information will periodically be updated here and on the FRA website:  https://railroads.dot.gov/environment/environmental-reviews/north-rail-connector-project

Permitting Timetable

The permitting timetable below displays data as reported by agencies. Dates for Environmental Review and Permitting processes (Actions) that are in 'Paused' or 'Planned' status are subject to change and are not indicative of a project's final schedule.

  • For information about extensions, select an Action from the timetable below and select 'View Action Details' at the bottom of the page.
Overall Project Timetable
 
STATUS
Schedule
Extension or Delay
Ahead of Schedule
Paused
No End Date
Planned

Action Information

For additional information, please select an Action from the Permitting Timetable above.

  • Action:  
  • Responsible Agency:  
  • Bureau:  
  • Action Status:  
  • SHPO:  
  • Action Identifier:  
  • Action Outcome:  
Milestone Original Target Date Current Target Date Milestone Complete
View Action Details