By Richard Hill
STARKVILLE, Miss. (Take 30 News) – Last Tuesday, October 1, the Board of Alderman unanimously voted to ask permission from the federal surface transportation board to remove the portion of rails of the Kansas City Southern railway that stretch through Starkville.
Rails to Trails is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a nationwide network of trails from former and unused railroads. If Starkville can join in on the fun, the organization will be one step closer to their goal.
Since the railroad has been out of use for quite some time, Mayor Lynn Spruill has been given the idea from citizens before.
"Well that particular idea has been around and floated at me for over a decade,” Spruill said. “When I was working on staff here at the city, periodically probably once a month or once every other month I would get people asking me, 'Why don't we do rails to trails?'"
Although the city of Starkville is ready to get the ball rolling, it still may never happen.
According to Mayor Spruill, the owners, Kansas City Southern Railway Company, haven’t given the okay on getting rid of the railway in Starkville just yet. In addition, the railroad covers three other counties, so a collaborative effort is necessary.
"Well we had a preliminary meeting in looking at whether or not those entities would be willing to participate in making this rail to trail happen,” she said. “And they seem to have some sense that it was worth doing."
Morgan Houston, an MSU student who lives next to the railroad, is excited about the possibility.
"I think the trail is an awesome idea. I think it'll help get our community on a more active level,” Houston said. “My roommate happens to have a dog here, so just because it’s so convenient right there, I think we'll use it quite often."
Only time will tell what is in store for the railroad, but there are several other trails in town to take advantage of in the meantime.