The city of Lexington has a close relationship with R.J. Corman Railroad Group when it comes to Fourth of July activities. That connection is a reminder of a half century of rail transportation.
R.J. Corman is celebrating its 50th anniversary. President and CEO Ed Quinn said there’s night and day difference between the rail company today compared to 1973. In addition to moving from a regulated industry to a de-regulated one, Quinn said there are obvious environmental advances, as seen in tier-four locomotives.
“It’s a race to reduce emissions from all the locomotives. That’s the cleanest locomotives they have. They have ten of these in this project. And we’re fortunate to be part of the project and help finish these out,” said Quinn.
The dynamics of rail transportation have changed over five decades. Quinn said the movement of Kentucky coal for energy has certainly declined. But, he said that’s not all the coal traffic.
“The metal side really hasn’t changed a whole lot. You’ll see some movement on it, but certainly the thermal has gone down over the course of years and I think that will continue. But, we’re hauling a lot more merchandise traffic,” said Quinn.
Quinn said R.J. Corman has 19 short railroad lines across the country. The downtown rail yard in Lexington will once again on July Fourth serve as the launching site for the fireworks show.
When asked if the rail company will be around 50 years from now, Quinn said absolutely. The railroad executive said the infrastructure would not handle a shift from rail to all truck transportation.
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