United Rail Inc.

[Trail Goer]

United Rail Inc. has purchased the New England Southern Railroad.

CONCORD, N.H. — United Rail, Inc., said Monday that it has acquired the New England Southern Railroad in New Hampshire. NES operates a 22-mile rail line in the Concord, N.H., area, and interchanges with Pan Am Railways for southbound freight shipments. According to a statement from United Rail, the acquisition of New England Southern gives United Rail a new market in which to operate.

“Our plan is to consolidate the smaller and sometimes overlooked short lines and consolidate them under the United Rail banner,” said Michael Barron, CEO of United Rail. “We plan to aggressively grow our presence in other markets. With the inclusion of the NES under the United Rail umbrella, we now have a presence in the Northeast, an area where we feel there are great growth opportunities.”

According to its website, New England Southern operates between Concord and Lincoln, N.H., on the state-owned White Mountain Branch. When operating north of Lochmere, N.H., the carrier must coordinate with the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad, Hobo Railroad, and Café Lafayette Dinner Train operations

Financial details of the transaction were not made available, other than to say the deal was an “all-cash transaction.” The United Rail statement says the company is awaiting final operating authority from the state of New Hampshire to begin operations. United Rail operates U.S. Rail and several private-car and specialty train operations.

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