Subscribe
May 18, 2026|Class I

NS, Jaguar Team for Growth in Northeast Metro Atlanta (UPDATED 5/18)

Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor

Norfolk Southern (NS) will lease its Doraville rail corridor and transload terminal in Georgia to Jaguar Transport Holdings LLC (Jaguar), which is slated to operate local switching service and “make capital improvements to expand yard capacity and support future growth.”

Map Showing Doraville, Ga., Courtesy of OpenRailwayMap.org.

“Located near I-285 and I-85, the Doraville rail corridor serves a cluster of industrial and logistics businesses in northeast metro Atlanta,” NS said in a March 31 announcement. (Railway Age Note: NS released a similar announcement on April 1.) “Through local switching and transload access, the corridor serves both rail-adjacent customers and regional shippers that depend on truck-to-rail connectivity.”

Under the agreement, Jaguar will provide “dedicated local service to enable faster first- and last-mile connections while integrating closely with NS’s Doraville transload facility,” according to NS. The Class I expects the move to:

  • “Improve interchange fluidity.
  • “Support higher-margin freight.
  • “Enable new industrial and warehouse development in the corridor.”

Jaguar has also “committed to performance standards and growth covenants designed to ensure long-term value creation for both companies,” NS noted.

Headquartered in Joplin, Mo., Jaguar operates 13 short lines and multiple transload facilities across the U.S. and “has a track record of generating strong early-stage volume growth after assuming local operations,” according to NS.

The Class I said the Doraville agreement with Jaguar not only reflects its “broader short line strategy: using targeted partnerships to extend network reach, improve local service, and unlock new markets that are best served by specialized operators,” but also supports its “long-term vision for a future combined network with Union Pacific.” NS noted that Jaguar is already a short line partner of UP, “supporting eventual operational alignment and a scalable model for local-market growth across a larger national network.”

Jaguar in March 2025 entered into an agreement with UP to provide short line service in the Central Industrial District of Kansas City; the Class I leased about 12 acres of land and four miles of track to Jaguar. UP said at the time that the move allowed it to focus on “fast, reliable long-haul service from the site in central Kansas City,” while Jaguar would offer five-day-a-week short-haul services via its new short line, the Kansas City West Bottoms Railroad.

“This [NS-Jaguar] deal is completely focused on freight growth, delivering increased capacity, and providing expanded local service in the important metro Atlanta market,” said Stefan Loeb, NS Vice President of Business Development and First- and Final-Mile Markets. “We value Jaguar’s experience in short line and transload operations, as well as its proven track record of success. This opportunity continues to demonstrate that short lines and transloaders are a crucial part of Norfolk Southern’s growth strategy.”

“We’re grateful for Norfolk Southern’s trust as we assume operations in Doraville,” noted Tim Enayati, Senior Vice President of Commercial Development at Jaguar. “Jaguar is committed to delivering exceptional service to our customers and being a reliable growth partner for Norfolk Southern in Atlanta.”

“From Day One, our focus will be on safe and reliable service,” Jaguar Senior Vice President of Operations Dan Price added. “We know how vital this corridor is to these customers, and we will bring discipline, responsiveness, and the focus it takes to earn their confidence and support future growth.”

UPDATE

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on May 15 provided notice that OPSEU Pension Plan Trust Fund (OPTrust), Jaguar Transport Holdings, LLC (JTH), and Jaguar Rail Holdings, LLC (JRH, and collectively with OPTrust and JTH, Jaguar), each a non-carrier, have filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(2) to continue in control of Northeast Atlanta Railroad, LLC (NEAR), upon NEAR’s becoming a Class III rail carrier (download decision below). The verified notice, it said, states that NEAR is a directly controlled holding of JRH, which is directly controlled by JTH, which is indirectly controlled by OPTrust.

53048Download

“This transaction is related to a concurrently filed verified notice of exemption in Northeast Atlanta Railroad, LLC—Lease & Operation Exemption with Interchange Commitment—Norfolk Southern Railway, Docket No. FD 36916, in which NEAR seeks Board approval to lease from Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NSR) and operate approximately 1.15 miles of rail line extending from the Stone Mountain Lead Switch at approximately milepost 620.64 on NSR’s Greenville District, near Doraville, Ga., into
the Doraville Industrial Complex,” the STB reported. “Jaguar represents that its control of NEAR upon NEAR’s becoming a rail common carrier is not a transaction where: (1) NEAR would connect with any other Jaguar railroads; (2) Jaguar plans to connect NEAR with any other Jaguar railroads; or (3) a Class I carrier is involved. Therefore, the transaction is exempt from the prior approval requirements of 49 U.S.C. 11323. See 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(2).”

The Board said that under 49 U.S.C. 10502(g), it may not use its exemption authority “to relieve a rail carrier of its statutory obligation to protect the interests of its employees”; however, “49 U.S.C. 11326(c) does not provide for labor protection for transactions under 49 U.S.C. 11324 and 11325 that involve only Class III rail carriers.” Accordingly, the STB said, because this transaction involves Class III rail carriers only, it “may not impose labor protective conditions here.”

The earliest this transaction may be consummated is May 30, 2026, the effective date of the exemption (corresponding with the effective date of the related exemption in Docket No. FD 36916), according to the STB.

Further Reading: