SGRR breaks ground on Texas common carrier railroad

Short-line Southwest Gulf Railroad company will build a nine-mile common carrier rail line that will connect with the Union Pacific and BNSF railroads west of San Antonio by 2019.    Southwest Gulf Railroad Co. (SGRR), the short-line rail subsidiary of Vulvan Materials Co., has broken ground on The Medina Line, a common carrier railroad located in Texas, the company announced.
   The Medina Line will be a nine-mile rail line located 30 miles west of San Antonio and is slated for completion in 2019, the company stated.
   Being a common carrier railroad, The Medina Line will connect to the Union Pacific (UP) and Burlington Northern and Santa Fe (BNSF) railroads. The rail line will also have access to U.S. route 90 for trucking purposes, SGRR said.
   “The Medina Line represents a timely opportunity for employers to enhance their supply and distribution capabilities to better serve the growing economy,” said Erik Remmert, vice president of SGRR. “We’re marketing a low-cost, convenient connection to the regional, national and global marketplace.
   “For Medina County, this is just the start of an economic engine that will generate new jobs, new tax revenues and spur economic growth for Texas,” said Remmert. “Interest from prospective customers and employers is strong, and that’s exciting to see.”
   SGRR’s parent company, Vulcan Materials, produces construction aggregates and materials. According to SGRR, the limestone quarry at the northern end of the line operated by Vulcan Materials will serve as its initial anchor customer.
   “Medina County is strategically positioned to tap into the underlying strength of the Texas economy and the rebuilding of our nation’s infrastructure,” said Jeff Lott, southwest division president at Vulcan Materials Co. “With the continuing recovery creating demand for construction materials in Texas and the Gulf Coast, The Medina Line will better connect the Vulcan Medina Quarry and other customers to serve the market while creating local jobs and economic opportunity here in Medina County.”
   According to the railroad, the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) authorized SGRR to build and operate The Medina Line in 2008.