| Railroad Name: | North Louisiana and Arkansas Railroad |
| Locale: | Arkansas and Louisiana |
| Length: | 62miles |
| Start Year: | 2011 |
| Hq City: | Russellville, Arkansas |
The North Louisiana and Arkansas Railroad (NL&AR) operates more than 62 miles of track, extending from McGehee, Arkansas to Lake Providence, Louisiana.[1] The NL&AR owns about 24 miles of the track, while about 41 miles are leased from the Lake Providence Port Authority Commission and the Southeast Arkansas Economic Development District.[1]
The rail line was originally built by the Memphis, Helena and Louisiana Railroad in 1878, and has had a number of owners over the years.[1] In 1988, the line was sold to the Delta Southern Railroad.[1] In 2011, when the Delta Southern sought to abandon the line, the current owners acquired it and began NL&RA operations in August 2011.[1] Arkansas Short Line Railroads of Russellville, Arkansas owns the NL&RA.
The line interchanges with the Arkansas Midland Railroad at McGehee, which in turn interchanges with the Union Pacific.[1] [2]
As reported in 2019, the trackage was in poor shape, with NL&AR trains averaging just 2.5 miles per hour.[3] However, the line received a federal grant that year which, along with funding from other public and private entitles, is intended to rehabilitate the line and at least allow 25 mile-per-hour speeds.[3]