WJTV-TV Jackson
$52 million grant to revive Gloster rail service
By Kristopher White
GLOSTER, Miss. (WJTV) – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) announced the award of $52 million to restore the Gloster Southern Railroad system in southwest Mississippi.
The Town of Gloster applied for a Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program grant through the Federal Railway Administration.
“The revival of the Gloster railroad should be a true economic shot in the arm for this rural region of our state. It should restore an important development tool to support existing and new industries in the area,” Hyde-Smith said. “I commend town leaders, Gloster Southern Railroad, and their partners on submitting a compelling and successful application.”
According to officials, the project will reestablish rail service, which was discontinued in 2009, on a nearly 35-mile segment of Gloster Southern Railroad. It will reconnect rural businesses in a historically-disadvantaged region of Mississippi and Louisiana to the national freight network.
The project will entail final design, right of way acquisition, and construction activities for various track-related improvements, upgrades to certain grade crossings, and rehabilitation of multiple bridges and culverts.