American shortline railroad
The Louisiana Southern Railroad (LAS ) is a shortline railroad operating in the state of Louisiana .[ 1] It began operations on September 25, 2005[ 2] on two unconnected lines leased from the Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS).[ 3] The northern branch runs south from Springhill, Louisiana through Sarepta and Cotton Valley to Minden, Louisiana , with one set of tracks continuing south to Sibley, Louisiana , and another set running west through Princeton to Shreveport, Louisiana .[ 4] The south branch runs generally south-southeast from Gibsland, Louisiana through towns like Bienville , Hodge , and Winnfield , to end at Pineville, Louisiana .[ 4] The total trackage is currently 195.4 miles.[ 4]
The LAS interchanges with KCS at Gibsland, Sibley, and Pineville.[ 2] The line has 42 employees.[ 2] Its operational headquarters are in Minden,[ 5] and the line has a mobile repair services location in Hodge.[ 2] It is owned by the Watco companies .[ 4]
While the line will move any commodity,[ 4] major commodities include sand, chemicals, petroleum, metals, ores, paper, and forest products.[ 2]
References
^ "Freight Railroads in Louisiana" (PDF) . Association of American Railroads, January 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021 .
^ a b c d e "LAS: Louisiana Southern Railroad" (PDF) . Kansas City Southern Lines. Retrieved September 2, 2021 .
^ "Louisiana Southern Railroad, Inc.--Lease and Operation Exemption--The Kansas City Southern Railway Company" . Federal Register Online, October 7, 2005. Retrieved September 2, 2021 .
^ a b c d e "Louisiana Southern Railroad (LAS)" . Watco. Retrieved September 2, 2021 .
^ "Louisiana Railroad Fact Book 2019, p.27" (PDF) . Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development. Retrieved September 2, 2021 .