Freight Rail Means Progress in Magnolia State

Growth in Mississippi auto manufacturing, shipbuilding and the energy sector are just a few examples of economic development facilitated by freight rail in the Magnolia State. With freight volumes forecast to increase approximately 50 percent by 2040, and a scarcity of funds for highway upkeep and improvements, the benefits of robust infrastructure investments by freight railroads are clear to see.

Mississippi's 24 freight railroads operate over 2,541 miles of track and employ 1,733 in the Magnolia State.* It would have taken approximately 502,000 additional truckloads to move the 9 million tons of freight that moved by rail in Mississippi in 2021. Moving freight by rail prevented 1.23 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of taking 242,000 cars off the road or planting 18.7 million trees. Chemicals and primary metal products comprise the majority of freight rail shipments beginning in Mississippi. Chemicals and nonmetallic minerals are the largest rail imports to the state.

*2021 data

Rail at Work

Mississippi

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Featured Rail Advocates

Mississippi
Larry Byrd
Larry Byrd
Mississippi State Representative
Robbie Brown
Robbie Brown
Director of Member Services, Mississippi Municipal League

Featured Rail Supply Companies

Mississippi

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NRCMA
Stella-Jones Inc.
RJ Corman Railroad Group

icon_railfreight

44 percent
decrease

in rail rates on average from 1981 to today.


That means the average rail customer today can ship significantly more freight for about the same price they paid 40 years ago. 

State Director

Mississippi
Christy Sammon

Christy Sammon

State Director

Christy Sammon joined GoRail in May 2015. She has 10 years of experience in the governmental relations field.