Marquette Rail
Marquette Rail is a short line railroad operating in Michigan. It is based in Ludington and operates 126 miles (203 km) of trackage north from Grand Rapids, Michigan, where connections with CSX and Norfolk Southern are located.[1] It serves chemical, paper products and various general freight customers.[2] The railroad has an annual profit of about $4 million on income of $13 million.[2]
 | |
 MQT #3001, an EMD SD40-2, in Alpine Township, Michigan. | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Ludington, Michigan |
| Reporting mark | MQT |
| Locale | Michigan |
| Dates of operation | 2005– |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Length | 126 mi (203 km) |
The company was founded in November 2005 by Kevin Ruble, a nationally active railroad consultant, who purchased a CSX line running north from Grand Rapids to Ludington and Manistee.[1] The railroad maintains its trackage to 40 mph (64 km/h) standards, and operates, as of 2008, seven EMD GP38-2 and EMD SD40-2 locomotives.[1]
On 8 February 2012, RailAmerica, a national short-line operator, announced that it planned to purchase Marquette Rail for $40 million.[2] RailAmerica and Marquette Rail were subsequently purchased by Genesee & Wyoming.[3] Prior to its acquisition, Marquette Rail was an employee-owned company.[1]
References
- "Railroads Gain Work". Grand Rapids Business Journal. 26 May 2008. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
- "RailAmerica acquires Marquette Rail". Rail-USA. 8 February 2012. Archived from the original on 15 February 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
- "Genesee & Wyoming - Our History". Retrieved 22 December 2014.