By Dan Schwartz The Daily Times
The Navajo Nation and Burlington Northern Santa Fe — one of the two largest railroad companies in North American — agreed Tuesday to have the Thoreau Industrial Park Railhead operational by June 2015, officials say.
The railhead could link the proposed $300 million freight railroad that would likely end in Farmington to the transcontinental rail that spans most of the country. The railhead could also drive the construction of that freight line, said Ray Hagerman, CEO of Four Corners Economic Development, an organization dedicated to stimulating the area economy.
Seven companies have confirmed they plan to lease space at the railhead, and each would build on the site an office, storage and loading facilities, and rails sections to hold cars, said Peter Deswood, a senior economic specialist for the Navajo Nation. He said Navajo Agricultural Products Industry is one of the lessees.
