JOPLIN, Mo., March 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Missouri Eastern Railroad (MER), a wholly owned subsidiary of Jaguar Transport Holdings (Jaguar), began rail operations on March 1, 2022. In January 2022, MER acquired approximately 42 miles of track located in the western portion of the St. Louis metropolitan area. In February 2022, it acquired leasehold rights to approximately 9 miles of adjacent track owned by Union Pacific. MER’s operations run from just west of Union, Missouri to Overland, Missouri where it interchanges with the Terminal Railroad of St. Louis.
“We are excited for the opportunity to begin serving customers in the St. Louis area,” said Stu Towner, CEO of Jaguar. “The railroad’s location in the center of the country with access to six class I railroads, multiple interstate highways, and the Mississippi River offers current and future customers tremendous reach across the United States.”
Missouri Eastern is the seventh shortline railroad for Jaguar, who has partnered with OPTrust, one of Canada’s largest pension plans. Other Jaguar railroads include Cimarron Valley Railroad, Southwestern Railroad, Washington Eastern Railroad, Oregon Eastern Railroad, Texas Eastern Railroad, and West Memphis Base Railroad.
About Jaguar Transport Holdings
Jaguar is a transportation and logistics company headquartered in Joplin, MO. Since 2018, Jaguar has focused on safety, team culture, service to customers, and innovation to help drive its growth. Jaguar operates seven short line railroads and multiple other rail served sites across the United States. Jaguar is partnered with OPSEU Pension Plan Trust Fund (“OPTrust”), which invests and manages one of Canada’s largest pension funds and has significant experience investing in the surface transportation and logistics space. For more information, please visit www.jag-transport.com.
About OPTrust
With net assets of over $23 billion, OPTrust invests and manages one of Canada’s largest pension funds and administers the OPSEU Pension Plan (including OPTrust Select), a defined benefit plan with over 100,000 members. OPTrust is a global investor in a broad range of asset classes including Canadian and foreign equities, fixed income, real estate, infrastructure and private markets, and has a team of highly experienced investment professionals located in Toronto, London and Sydney.