Seminole Gulf Railway faces extended closure after hurricane | So Good News

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Florida’s Seminole Gulf Railway could be closed for up to six months due to damage caused by Hurricane Ian, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reports.

Executive Vice President Robert Fay told the Business Journal that the railroad had lost six bridges as a result of the storm, including three totaling 1,300 linear feet in the Fort Myers area. And the yard in Arcadia, Florida, where it interchanges with CSX Transportation, is under water.

The loss of the 100-mile route between Arcadia to Bonita Springs, Fla., near Naples, is particularly critical to rebuilding efforts in the hard-hit Fort Myers area, given that rail traffic includes a variety of construction materials, including lumber, rebar, and aggregates,” and now they are needed for recovery,” Fay said.

The railway transports around 2,500 car loads of goods annually. It will divert some car loads to a separate operation in the Sarasota area, but from there they must be re-loaded onto trucks, which has its own challenges.