Sometime in the next two weeks, the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay will reopen the rail line that was abandoned abruptly four years ago by the hedge fund-owned Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad.
“It’s sort of been like a nightmare/fairy tale saga,” DeFazio said. When the line is back, “It’s going to be a very happy day and great for the south coast.”
The shippers who have used the line in the past all have cut back their operations on the coast by some 40 percent to 50 percent in recent years, Ragon estimated, but he suspects that has more to do with global demand than the added expense of moving product by truck. As the economy improves, that should mean more business for the rail line.