County looking into railway transportation for goods

Perry County is looking into another way for businesses to transport their products.
The Perry County Economic Association received a grant to study the railway in the county to find the best place for a rail terminal and freight loading facility.
“The rail line runs through Perry County in McBride, but it is a privately owned spur by Gilster Mary-Lee,” Executive Director Crystal Jones said. “There is no place for other businesses or industry to access the rail line in Perry County. They have to go outside of the county to access a loading facility if they need to transport goods by railway.”
Transporting goods by railway is still a viable option in 2022, according to Jones.
“Most industry use several forms of transportation, Jones said. “Truck transportation is a big deal in Perry County and that is really the only freight transportation that we have. Transporting by barge on the Mississippi River is another option, but we don’t have access to a port in Perry County at the moment. We can’t really utilize river transport without traveling outside the county.”
The Perry County Economic Development Authority is currently requesting proposals for professional services to develop a feasibility analysis to determine where is the best place for such a facility, along with a conceptual design and The goal of the feasibility analysis is to enhance economic development efforts in Perry County by adding a rail freight transportation option for area business and industry.
“We are looking for a consultant to help us find what the need is and what size the building should be and the amenities we need that as well would be helpful for business and industry,” Jones said.

Jones noted that there have been several businesses approach her about building such a terminal.
“I’ve have some businesses get a hold of me,” she said. “They are mostly in the agriculture industry. They transport forestry and wood products.”
Jones believes getting a railway through Perry County could help with recruitment of other businesses as well.
“There are places that are looking to locate somewhere in Missouri,” Jones said. “About 50 percent of the time, one of the requirements of that company is that the community needs to be rail-served. We miss out on those because we don’t have those things, so we can’t check that box.”
Jones believes having viable railways is important to the growth of the county.
“Having a diverse system of transportation for industry is vital,” she said. “This is really step one in trying to diversify our options.”
Jones believes the process to complete the analysis should take approximately one year.
“Once we get a consultant, we can use their recommendations as a roadmap for a future facility,” she said.