JOPLIN, Mo. — The Missouri Eastern Railway, a new subsidiary of transportation company Jaguar Transport Holdings, began operation Tuesday, March 1, in the St. Louis area.
In January, the company acquired 42 miles of track between St. Louis and Union, Mo., previously operated by Progressive Rail’s Central Midland Railway. In February, it acquired leasehold rights to approximately 9 miles of adjacent, Union Pacific-owned trackage.
“We are excited for the opportunity to begin serving customers in the St. Louis area,” Jaguar CEO Stu Towner said in a press release. “The railroad’s location in the center of the country with access to six class I railroads, multiple interstate highways, and the Mississippi River offers current and future customers tremendous reach across the United States.”
The Missouri Eastern becomes the seventh railroad for Joplin, Mo.-based Jaguar. Others are the Cimarron Valley, Southwestern, Washington Eastern, Oregon Eastern, Texas Eastern, and West Memphis Base railroads. Jaguar also offers trucking, warehousing, and transloading.
This is the last remaining segment of the Rock Island’s Kansas City- St. Louis line. Further west, in the embargoed section of the line, are two massive bridges over the Osage and Gasconade rivers, and a few tunnels. This is also the fourth or fifth owner since the RI shut down.