Brookhaven’s industrial recruitment efforts stand to benefitfrom a recent change of ownership of the east/west railroad linethat crosses Linbrook Business Park on its way from Natchez toBrookhaven, local officials said.

Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce Executive VicePresident Cliff Brumfield said the acquisition of the 66-mile lineby Natchez Railway, LLC – an affiliate of Utah-based A&KRailroad Materials, Inc. – could translate into enhanceddevelopment options for Linbrook in the future. The line wasrecently sold to Natchez Railway by Canadian National Railway,which sold a total of 252 miles of track in Mississippi.

Brumfield said the line has been “instrumental” in previousindustrial recruitment efforts and the development of Linbrook, andhe is certain the line’s new owners will continue working closelywith local industrial leaders.

“I feel certain the new owners of the short line are familiarwith Linbrook, and we will work with them to make sure they haveall the most recent data regarding our progress,” said Brumfield,who has not yet spoken with A&K representatives. “This willretain our access to the port of Natchez, which could prove to bevery beneficial.”

District 92 Rep. Becky Currie said railway officials informedher of the transaction early Wednesday. She welcomed the news.

“I think it’s going to be a good thing for the community,”Currie said. “A privately owned company putting money into therailway is going to want to get business going. They’re going towant to see increased business in this area.”

CN released a statement claiming A&K would maintain the lineand preserve traffic for the next two years, though the terms ofthe transaction were not made public. A&K representatives couldnot be reached for comment.

CN officials said in a statement the company sold thelow-traffic line after deeming it not economically viable tomaintain. Though trains on the company’s main north/south line -which dissects downtown Brookhaven on its way from New Orleans toChicago – rumble through the city several times daily, traffic israrely forced to stop for the little-used east/west line that runsparallel to Brookway Boulevard.

“Since 2003, CN has been working with Mississippi on itseconomic development efforts to bring additional business to thoseroutes, but those efforts haven’t created a substantial increase inrail traffic,” said CN Spokesman Patrick Waldron.

Waldron said CN would continue to operate the approximately 600miles of main track connecting New Orleans and Chicago, and Amtrakpassenger trains would also continue to use the line.