County Supervisors Back Steps For Skuna Rail Revitalization

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COFFEEVILLE – The Yalobusha County Board of Supervisors gave the green light Tuesday to begin exploring the possibility of restoring the long-abandoned Mississippi & Skuna Valley Railroad, a 21-mile line that once linked Coffeeville to Bruce.

Board Attorney Shannon Crow told supervisors that outside parties are interesting in moving forward with the rail revitalization.

“The question I need answered, is there any opposition whatsoever to getting the rail going again?” Crow asked during the meeting at the Coffeeville courthouse.

Although no formal vote was taken, supervisors agreed to proceed with preliminary steps, including discussion about filling the vacant appointment on the Skuna Valley Rails to Trails Recreational District. Each county—Yalobusha and Calhoun—has one representative, but the district has been dormant since Yalobusha County’s last appointee passed away.

The rails-to-trails district currently holds the 100-foot-wide right-of-way stretching from Coffeeville to Bruce—land donated in 2011 after Patriot Rail, which acquired the Mississippi & Skuna Valley Railroad from Weyerhaeuser in 2010, salvaged the steel and ties.

A Costly Undertaking

District 5 Supervisor Gaylon Gray estimated it would cost “at least $50 million” to bring the line back online, particularly to rebuild the Turkey Creek bridge, which was destroyed by fire years ago. Still, he emphasized the broader economic upside.

“That will also put it back on the tax rolls,” Gray said in Tuesday’s meeting.

“And it would benefit Weyerhaeuser in Bruce.”

Crow said Grenada attorney Jay Gore is assisting the counties, exploring a path where the Rails to Trails District deeds the property to the counties; the counties then declare it surplus and transfer it to the North Central Mississippi Regional Railroad Authority (NCMRRA). That authority would pursue grants and rebuild the infrastructure—a model proven effective on the Grenada line.

Background of  NCMRRA and the Grenada Railroad Revival

Formed in 2011 by representatives of seven Mississippi counties—including Yalobusha—NCMRRA was created to preserve rail connectivity when the Grenada line faced abandonment. In 2015, the authority purchased the line and began rebuilding it with state-backed funding and private investment.
Through a series of federal and state grants, more than 228 miles of track and dozens of bridges were rehabilitated, restoring full Class II freight service between Southaven and Canton. The project also spurred major industrial investment, including a new Biewer Lumber sawmill and expanded carload capacity across the region.

Crucially, the Grenada line also includes the junction that extends to Coffeeville. That connection could ultimately link directly with the proposed revitalized Skuna Valley route, giving the short line a tie-in to the broader north-south corridor.

Historical Context

2008 – Mississippi & Skuna Valley Railroad halts operations after a bridge fails.

2010 – Patriot Rail acquires the line from Weyerhaeuser and removes rail, crossties and track ballast along the 21 mile rail.

2011 – Patriot Rail donates the right-of-way to Yalobusha and Calhoun counties; the Rails to Trails district is formed.

2015–2023 – NCMRRA revives the Grenada line, restoring service and modernizing infrastructure from Southaven to Canton.

2025 – Yalobusha supervisors begin legal groundwork to transfer track right-of-way ownership, following almost a year of behind-the-scenes work on the project.