Reporting mark CCPN Date of operation 1924 | Dates of operation 1924– Locale Corpus Christi | |
Track gauge 4 ft 8 ⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Headquarters Jacksonville, Florida (Rail Link) | ||
The Corpus Christi Terminal Railroad (reporting mark CCPN) is a terminal railroad originally created in 1924 to facilitate heavy bulk freight cargo traffic flow from the recently completed deep water port channel of the new Corpus Christi Port. Wishing to maximize freight handling potential while holding down rates, the Port Authority decided to allow traffic to all of its docks and facilities by no less than three competing railroads, the Southern Pacific, the Missouri Pacific and the Tex-Mex railroads. To accomplish this, the Port of Corpus Christi Authority built its own trackage along the channel and to the docks and allowed all three carriers access to it. While the Authority’s scheme at first heightened tensions between the three railroads, they eventually began to cooperate, assuring a good flow of bulk freight and the eventual success of the Port facilities.
On August 3, 1997, Rail Link, a wholly owned subsidiary of Genesee and Wyoming Inc., leased the lines and took over day-to-day operation of the railroad, though the 26 miles (42 km) of physical trackage is still owned by the Port of Corpus Christi Authority. As of 2007, railroad connections exist with the Union Pacific, BNSF and Texas Mexican railroads.
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