Temple & Central Texas Railway, a newly formed Patriot Rail Corp. subsidiary, has won an exclusive long-term license to provide rail switching and other rail-related services to customers at Central Pointe Rail Park in Temple, Texas.
Central Pointe Rail Park, owned by the City of Temple, is a 3,500-acre industrial park with more than 50 tenants. Located in central Texas, the park has rail service, utilities, developed streets and its own fire station, airport and medical center. Within the park there are about 10 miles of rail line serving four customers. TC will interchange traffic with Class I rail carrier BNSF Railway and expects to move more than 6,000 carloads in its first year of operation.
Patriot's agreement with the city provides TC with exclusive rights to provide rail switching and other rail-related services within the park for up to 22 years.
"We are excited about this new relationship with Patriot Rail and the Temple & Central Texas Railway," said David Blackburn, Temple's City Manager. "We considered several railroad operators for this business, but what set Patriot apart was their experience and enthusiasm for identifying and attracting new rail-served customers for the park."
The City of Temple, together with the Temple Economic Development Corp., established the Temple Reinvestment Zone and Temple Enterprise Zone to provide existing and potential park customers with tax incentives for relocating to Temple.
Stan Wlotko, senior vice president - operations of Patriot Rail, noted that this region of Texas is poised for growth as new industry and commerce relocate to Temple over the next several years. Based on preliminary marketing efforts, Patriot has identified over 20 potential new rail customers which could add substantial new business for the park within the next several years, he added.
Patriot Rail is a short line and regional railroad holding company based in Boca Raton, Fla. It owns and operates six short lines that run over 331 total rail miles in eight states.