Gil Carmichael displayes a map of Mississippi while speaking to concerned citizens on Aug. 17, 2009, at the Clarke County Courthouse Annex in Quitman. Mr. Carmichael has a dream of creating a railroad to connect the ports in Mobile and Pascagoula to Meridian and points north via constructing a line between Waynesboro and Lucedale.

A railroad to the Gulf, that's Gil Carmichael's dream. The railroad would run from ports in Mobile and Pascagoula north to Lucedale and Waynesboro where it would then link to Meridian Southern Railroad line running through Shubuta, Quitman, all the way to Meridian. The realization of this dream of a railroad through southeastern Mississippi all the way to the Gulf of Mexico would enable freight trains with 140 cars and 280 land/sea containers to import products from all over the world. The same trains could export timber products, including pellets made from pulp wood used as an alternative bioenergy source. Hence Gil Carmichael's railroad to the Gulf would boost the economy of rural Mississippi which currently looses much potential business because no such economical means of transportation exists in the region.

What will a railroad to the Gulf cost and who will pay for this dream railroad? Gil Carmichael, former undersecretary of the Federal Railroad Administration, seemed hesitant to say exactly how much his dream would cost when I asked this question at a hearing held in the courthouse annex in Quitman, Mississippi, on Aug. 17, 2009. Instead of answering the question concerning how much his dream railroad would cost, he rambled on, his train of though seeming to chug along like a freight train trying to gain speed. Had he forgotten the question? "How much would the railroad cost," was my question to the elderly Mr. Gil Carmichael, but he rambled on and on about his dream, never saying what it would cost.

I thought my question was quite specific and clear. "It has been estimated that it will cost between $50-million and $150-million to construct the railroad; can you tell me more precisely how much it will cost to build this railroad and who will pay for it?" I was expecting an accurate estimate from this esteemed gentleman, but instead of answering my question, he rambled on about his dream, never saying how much it might cost. Later a board member who had done some research pointed out to me that it would cost $4-million per mile. A report in the Mississippi Press quoted Larry Harevey, director of the Wayne County Economic Development District, as saying that 43 miles of new track need to be constructed. Hence it was easy to calculate that 43 miles of track between Waynesboro and Lucedale would cost $172-million! This would not even include right-of-ways, rail crossings, bridges, or upgrade of existing rails, and other infrastructure to enable the safe operation of a railroad to the Gulf and the additional heavy load bearing traffic of mega tonage freight trains such a railroad would service.

Proposed new railroad (blue dots) between Waynesboro and Lucedale, Mississippi, may cost over $172-million dollars to construct. The new railroad would link Mississippi Southern Railroad (MSE) shown as a red dashed line between Meridian and Waynesboro, to existing lines feeding into Lucedale. Hence the counties between Lucedale and Meridian would benefit from the north-south passage of freight, provided loading/unloading facilities and warehouses were built in Quitman, Shubuta, Waynesboro and other communities along the tracks.

As I listened to Mr. Carmichael ramble on about his dream of a railroad to the Gulf, I felt rather sad. This elderly gentleman seemed lost in his dream. Had he forgotten my question, or was the cost of his dream just something he did not want to address? Regardless of what it might cost to actually build a railroad to the Gulf, first there was much work to do. Before raising any money, a railroad authority would need to be created by at least two counties. The railroad authority would be a pubic body which would make preliminary plans and direct efforts to obtain funding for the railroad to the Gulf. It was to urge the establishment of such a railroad authority which is why Gil Carmichael was addressing the Clarke County Board of Supervisors.

Appearing before a gathering of some two dozen concerned citizens and the Clarke County Board of Supervisors, Mr. Carmichael spoke of his dream for a railroad to the Gulf. He imagined containers in China being filled with racks of dresses ready for sale, they would be loaded upon ships in Hong Kong or Shanghai and transported across the Pacific Ocean, through a widened Panama Canal, on ships that could carry up to 6,000 containers filled with products manufactured overseas. The container ships would dock at Mobile, a deep water port, then unload the containers onto trains destined to points north. Everyone would benefit because products shipped by land/sea containers cost less when freight rates are lowered because trucks do not have to travel more than sixty miles before they unload products. Communities along the railroad to the Gulf would also benefit from loading and unloading the containers as well as fees paid to use the railroad. Jobs would also be created by industries using the railroad to manufacture exports.

Given the current economic crisis, Gil Carmichael's dream of a railroad to the Gulf seems like a great idea. Such a railroad would certainly be a boost to the depressed economy of southeastern Mississippi and would be a great asset provided it is properly managed, adequately funded and maintained over the long term.

Since 9/11 one of Homeland Security's primary concerns is protecting America's ports and rail systems from a terrorist attack which may involve the usage of land/sea containers to smuggle a weapon of mass destruction into the United States. This is a real and present danger, a genuine threat, as it is very difficult to adequately search or scan every container of the million upon millions of containers which go through our ports and over our railroads every day. Such containers have also been used to smuggle everything from illegal drugs to illegal aliens into America. Hence it is my opinion that any plans for a railroad to the Gulf might also include building a state-of-the-art container inspection facility. Fees from the inspection of containers and their certification as safe could raise funds to help pay for a railroad and maintain the railroad over time to make it one of the safest and best railroads in the nation.

Gil Carmichael has a dream of a railroad to the Gulf. It is a railroad which may benefit his children and grandchildren more than himself, as the former undersecretary of the Federal Railroad Administration is getting up in his years; the Lord only knows if he will live long enough to see his dream become a reality. Yet I was impressed listening to Mr. Carmichael speak of his dream of a railroad to the Gulf, rambling from one thought to another, never actually saying how much the railroad might cost. It was as if to him realization of the dream was what was important -- how much it might cost was relatively insignificant to the benefit which would be reaped in the future by our children and their children.

Gil Carmichael has a dream of a railroad to the Gulf. Long freight trains blow their whistles as they speed through the pine belt towns of eastern Mississippi, each car stacked double high with two containers loaded with products manufactured in Bangladesh, Singapore, the Philippines, China or other third world nations. The import and marketing of those products will mean jobs for Americans as will containers filled for export carried through Mississippi along the railroad to Gulf ports in Mobile and Pascagoula.

After listening to Mr. Carmichaels presentation I was convinced; the railroad to the Gulf is a win-win situation for everyone, especially if you share the dream and are fortunate enough to be able to profit from it. However much it cost to build a railroad to the Gulf, that will be a drop in the bucket compared to the wealth generated by the railroad to the Gulf. The only question people really need to ask is, "Can we afford NOT to build a railroad to the Gulf?" For the benefit of building a railroad to the Gulf will be not be so much ours, as that of our children and their children.

ADDENDUM: The Clarke County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to join the Regional Railroad Authority of East Mississippi on August 20, 2009. It remains to be determined exactly how much tax payer dollars will be contributed to support this project. Also the bigger question is how many millions of dollars it will actually cost to build a railroad from Waynesbore to Lucedale, plus what additonal sums will be required to ungrade the railroad and intrastructure from Waynesboro to Meridian. In addition there is the question of who will profit and by how much; i.e., how much money will Clarke County be paid and will the investment by tax payers return a profit?

In review of other established railroad it was learned that to really profit from the operation of a railroad you need to not only own the tracks, but you need to own locomotives! It is the companies which actually own the locomotives that move the fraight up and down the tracks which profit directly from freight transport by charging a tariff, as for moving crude oil, and other fees for freight based upon the type of freight, such as pulp wood, sand, grave or coal. For freight moved through Clarke County between Meridian and Waynesbore, charges can range from $400 to $700 per car or more, depending upon the cargo and distance hauled. On a train with 140 cars this would be $56,000 to $98,000 just to move freight between Waynesboro and Meridian. But unless you own the locomotives you can't haul anything! Therefore those who promise to make a killing off any future railroad construction and operation are going to be the companies that actually own the locomotives which move the freight up and down along the tracks. This simple fact was NOT even mentioned at the meeting urging the Clarke County Board of Supervisors to join the railroad authority!

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