New Orleans Public Belt Railroad
A municipal-origin short-line railroad providing switching, haulage, interchange, and bridge services around the Port of New Orleans.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, commonly identified by the reporting mark NOPB, is a Class III short-line railroad serving the Port of New Orleans and connected industrial areas in southeastern Louisiana. It was created to solve a longstanding access problem at the port: multiple trunk railroads historically reached different portions of the Mississippi River waterfront, making freight movements fragmented and sometimes requiring railcars to be moved across the river by barge. The city-developed belt line was intended to offer railroads uniform and impartial access to port facilities while reducing congestion and connecting otherwise separate rail systems. The railroad was formally established by the City of New Orleans in 1900. Construction began in 1905, and operations started in 1908 with approximately 20 miles of track and one locomotive. Over time, NOPB expanded from a local waterfront switching operation into an important interchange and bridge railroad. Its network now includes approximately 26 miles of mainline track and about 75 miles of total trackage in the New Orleans area. The system serves the Port of New Orleans, industrial customers, classification and storage yards, and connections with the six Class I railroads serving the region: BNSF Railway, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific. NOPB's operating role is primarily that of a connecting and terminal railroad rather than a long-distance freight carrier. It switches cars, performs local haulage, assembles and breaks up trains, provides interchange services, and moves freight between port facilities, industrial customers, and the national rail network. Its principal classification facility is Cotton Warehouse Yard in Uptown New Orleans. Other facilities include Claiborne Yard, France Yard, and several storage yards, including Pauline, Race Street, East Bridge, and South yards. The railroad also owns and jointly maintains the rail component of the Huey P. Long Bridge over the Mississippi River with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, which maintains the roadway portion. The bridge is a major east-west freight crossing; a substantial share of United States rail freight crossing the Mississippi uses this corridor. The railroad's history includes several infrastructure expansions. A direct rail crossing of the Mississippi became available when the Huey P. Long Bridge opened to trains in 1935. NOPB later added important connections and expanded toward Lake Pontchartrain, including the development of France Yard and lines along both sides of the Industrial Canal. Modernization projects in the 1990s and 2000s included new headquarters, a car-repair and office facility at Cotton Warehouse Yard, and improvements that enabled double-stack container trains to use the main line. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused extensive damage to NOPB equipment and track in 2005. The railroad restored roughly 70 percent of its lines and interchanges by September of that year and approximately 90 percent by March 2006, when interchange operations with all six connecting Class I railroads had been reestablished. NOPB marked its centennial in 2008. In 2016 it established an interchange with Kansas City Southern Railway, now part of Canadian Pacific Kansas City, at Frellsen Junction in St. Charles Parish, its first operation outside Orleans and Jefferson parishes. Ownership and governance changed in 2018. After considering private-sale and other financing options, the city transferred control of the railroad to the Port of New Orleans on February 1, 2018, in exchange for two riverfront wharves that were transferred to the city for riverfront park expansion. NOPB remains a port-oriented public railroad whose capital and operating expenses are funded through operating revenue. Its locomotive fleet consists of eight lower-emission Tier 1 locomotives rebuilt by Electro-Motive Diesel and leased from GATX. In 2022, Tomeka Watson Bryant became president and chief executive officer, becoming the first African American woman to lead a short-line railroad in the United States.
History
Plans for a belt railroad serving New Orleans waterfront industries emerged in the 1890s. The city's Municipal Affairs Committee sought a way to improve port access and remove inefficiencies created by several railroads terminating at separate points along the river. In 1896, the committee proposed a city-owned and city-operated New Orleans Belt Railroad that would provide common, impartial access and facilitate transfers among the railroads serving the port. The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad was formally established in 1900. A 1904 municipal ordinance placed its administration under a board composed of the mayor and sixteen appointed citizens and extended municipal funding authority for land acquisition and construction. Work began in 1905, and the railroad opened in 1908 with about 20 miles of track and a single locomotive. Its initial purpose was local and connective: it moved freight between port facilities and the various trunk railroads rather than operating as a major long-distance carrier. A major change came with construction of the Huey P. Long Bridge over the Mississippi River. Work on the combined rail and automobile bridge began in 1932, and the first train crossed in 1935. The bridge gave NOPB a direct rail route across the river and became a strategically important link for freight moving through the New Orleans region. In 1943, the railroad built an interchange at West Bridge with the Texas and Pacific Railway, whose successor is part of Union Pacific. In 1956, NOPB extended service toward Lake Pontchartrain by building France Yard and tracks along both sides of the Industrial Canal. The railroad modernized its facilities during the late twentieth century. A headquarters building on Tchoupitoulas Street was completed in 1992. Louisiana legislation in 1997 authorized NOPB to move freight over its network even when that freight did not originate or terminate on the railroad, broadening its potential role as a connecting carrier. Cotton Warehouse Yard subsequently gained office and car-repair facilities, and improvements completed in 1999 enabled double-stack container trains to use the main line. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita severely damaged NOPB's equipment and infrastructure in 2005. The damage was estimated at approximately $450 million in the available historical account. Despite the disruption, the railroad restored about 70 percent of its lines and interchanges by September 2005 and approximately 90 percent by March 2006. By that point, interchange service with all six connecting Class I railroads had resumed. The company celebrated its one-hundredth year of operation in 2008. In 2015, the City of New Orleans began exploring a sale of the railroad to a private operator as a way to finance capital improvements. Shippers opposed the proposal because of concerns about future service and access. The city abandoned the privatization plan in 2016 while continuing to evaluate funding alternatives. That same year, NOPB established an interchange with Kansas City Southern Railway at Frellsen Junction in St. Charles Parish, marking the first time its operations extended beyond Orleans and Jefferson parishes. Kansas City Southern later became part of Canadian Pacific Kansas City. In 2017, the city, the Port of New Orleans, and NOPB agreed on a different ownership arrangement. The port would assume control of the railroad, while two riverfront wharves, at Governor Nicholls Street and Esplanade Avenue, would be transferred to the city for riverfront park expansion. The transfer was completed on February 1, 2018. NOPB consequently became a subsidiary of the Port of New Orleans and continued operating as a public, port-oriented railroad. In 2020, the railroad obtained eight lower-emission Tier 1 locomotives rebuilt by Electro-Motive Diesel and leased from GATX. In 2022, Tomeka Watson Bryant became president and chief executive officer. NOPB's present network comprises approximately 26 miles of mainline and 75 miles of total track, with a fleet of eight locomotives and interchanges with BNSF Railway, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific. Its continuing function is to connect port, industrial, and national rail freight movements through switching, haulage, classification, storage, interchange, and bridge operations.
- 2022
Tomeka Watson Bryant becomes chief executive
[1]Tomeka Watson Bryant became president and chief executive officer.
- 2020
Rebuilt Tier 1 locomotive fleet introduced
[1]NOPB obtained eight lower-emission locomotives rebuilt by Electro-Motive Diesel and leased from GATX.
- 2018
Control transferred to Port of New Orleans
[1]The Port of New Orleans assumed control of NOPB in an exchange involving two riverfront wharves transferred to the city.
- 2016
Frellsen Junction interchange established
[1]NOPB created an interchange with Kansas City Southern Railway at Frellsen Junction in St. Charles Parish, extending operations beyond its traditional parishes.
- 2008
Centennial observed
[1]The railroad marked one hundred years since beginning operations.
- 2006
Interchange service restored
[1]By March, NOPB had restored interchange operations with all six connecting Class I railroads.
- 2005
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita damage the system
[1]The hurricanes caused extensive damage to NOPB's track and equipment, disrupting service across the network.
- 1999
Double-stack access enabled
[1]Infrastructure improvements enabled double-stack container trains to access the main line.
- 1997
Freight authority expanded
[1]Louisiana legislation authorized NOPB to carry freight that did not originate or terminate on its own line.
- 1992
New headquarters completed
[1]NOPB completed a headquarters building on Tchoupitoulas Street.
Products and positioning
A neutral, port-centered terminal and switching railroad that connects ocean and inland freight facilities with the North American Class I rail network.
Railroad service · 1908
Port and terminal switching
NOPB switches freight cars within the Port of New Orleans and adjacent terminal areas. The service links ship, warehouse, industrial, and mainline rail operations, allowing larger railroads and shippers to use port facilities without operating their own locomotives throughout the local terminal network.
Railroad service · 1908
Freight haulage and local rail service
The railroad hauls freight over its approximately 26-mile mainline and broader 75-mile trackage system. It serves industrial areas and port customers around New Orleans and moves cars between local facilities, yards, and connecting railroads.
Railroad service · 1908
Interchange and classification
NOPB receives, sorts, stores, and transfers freight traffic between local customers and six Class I railroads: BNSF, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific. Cotton Warehouse Yard is the principal classification facility.
Rail infrastructure service · 1935
Huey P. Long Bridge rail operations
NOPB owns and jointly maintains the railway portion of the Huey P. Long Bridge over the Mississippi River with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. The crossing provides a critical connection for freight moving across the river in the New Orleans region.
Brand decisions
2020
Locomotive fleet modernizationGeneration changeBackground
NOPB sought to modernize its motive power and reduce emissions from its operating fleet.
Action taken
The railroad obtained eight Tier 1 locomotives rebuilt by Electro-Motive Diesel and leased from GATX.
Aftermath
The rebuilt locomotives became the railroad's operating fleet as described in the available reference material.
2018
Transfer of railroad control to Port of New OrleansM&ABackground
The city and port sought an ownership and infrastructure arrangement that would preserve public control while providing a framework for port and riverfront development.
Action taken
On February 1, 2018, control of NOPB transferred to the Port of New Orleans. In return, the port transferred the Governor Nicholls Street and Esplanade Avenue wharves to the city.
Aftermath
NOPB became a subsidiary of the Port of New Orleans, while the city used the wharf sites for planned riverfront park expansion.
2016
Abandonment of proposed privatizationStrategyBackground
The City of New Orleans had explored selling NOPB to a private company to finance capital improvements. Shippers opposed the proposal because of concerns about possible effects on service and access.
Action taken
The city abandoned the privatization plan while continuing to examine other ways to fund railroad improvements.
Aftermath
The subsequent solution was a transfer of control to the Port of New Orleans rather than a private sale.
Sources2 sources
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