New Orleans Public Belt Railroad

What New Orleans Public Belt Railroad does

The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) is a Class III switching railroad founded in 1890, headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, with 101-250 employees. Its core function is providing railcar switching and handling services for the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) and surrounding local industries. In 2025 YTD, NOPB handled 168,070 railcars, operating tariff-based switching services at a structurally fixed geographic gateway. Revenue is generated through per-railcar tariff fees and ancillary port rail infrastructure charges under a transaction-based pricing model, with the Port of New Orleans serving as its primary mission partner.

In May 2026, NOPB partnered with UTC Transoceanic (a joint venture between New Orleans-based Transoceanic and Houston-based UTC Overseas) to deploy the TEID-RDC platform, an AI-powered rail clearance system built on Palantir Foundry. The platform creates a digital twin of the NOPB rail network and replaces traditional manual engineering studies (which took weeks to six months) with near-immediate routing feasibility determinations for oversized cargo including power transformers, wind turbine components, industrial generators, and AI data center equipment. A customer-facing application allows shippers to input cargo dimensions and receive routing recommendations directly.

NOPB's go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting port authorities, maritime operators, and industrial companies. The company markets itself as a Gulf/Mississippi corridor gateway competing against Houston, Savannah, and Jacksonville, and is positioning the AI platform to capture project cargo share during Louisiana's statewide industrial construction boom. Ownership details are not publicly disclosed; NOPB appears to operate as a standalone public infrastructure entity closely associated with Port NOLA, with no venture capital or private equity backing identified in available sources.

Name

New Orleans Public Belt Railroad

Legal name

New Orleans Public Belt Railroad

Website

https://nopb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

NOPB is a Class III switching railroad serving the Port of New Orleans and local industries, handling railcar movements and oversized project cargo through tariff-based services and a recently deployed AI-powered digital twin clearance platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rail Switching Services

NAICS

Short Line Railroads (482112)

SIC

Railroad Switching & Terminal Establishments (4013)

akta.pro primary industry

Short Line & Regional Railroads (General Merchandise) (TLADACAI)

Keywords

• Class III switching railroad
• Rail switching services
• Port rail logistics
• Railcar handling services
• Cargo clearance technology

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Switching Railroad Services: Class III switching railroad providing railcar handling services for the Port of New Orleans and local industries. Revenue generated through tariff-based rail services.
2. Port Rail Infrastructure Services: Operating rail infrastructure serving the Port of New Orleans gateway for cargo movement, handling oversized project cargo including power transformers, wind turbine components, and industrial generators.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) is a Class III switching railroad that provides railcar handling and switching services for the Port of New Orleans and local industries in the New Orleans metropolitan area. The railroad connects maritime cargo to the national rail network, handling 168,070 railcars year-to-date in 2025. In partnership with UTC Transoceanic, NOPB also deploys the TEID-RDC AI-powered rail clearance platform built on Palantir Foundry, which creates a digital twin of the rail network to provide near-immediate routing feasibility assessments for oversized cargo such as power transformers, wind turbine components, and industrial generators.

Product overview

The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) operates as a Class III switching railroad providing core rail services to the Port of New Orleans and local industries. In partnership with UTC Transoceanic, NOPB has deployed the TEID-RDC platform—an AI-powered rail clearance technology built on Palantir Foundry—that creates a digital twin of the rail network to enable near-instant routing clearance for oversized cargo. The TEID-RDC platform represents a technology layer atop NOPB's core rail operations, transforming traditional manual engineering studies into automated optimization-driven clearance determinations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NOPB Rail Services Class III switching railroad services providing railcar handling, switching, and rail network access for cargo transportation serving the Port of New Orleans and local industries in the New Orleans metropolitan area.
• TEID-RDC (Transport Equipment Identification and Routing Digital Clearance) Platform AI-powered rail clearance technology platform built on Palantir Foundry that uses a digital twin of the NOPB rail network to provide near-immediate routing feasibility assessments and clearance determinations for oversized cargo. Includes a customer-facing application that allows shippers to input cargo dimensions and receive routing recommendations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced oversized cargo clearance time from weeks/months to near-immediate determinations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• UTC TransoceanicflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2026Partnership to deploy AI-powered rail clearance technology and digital twin of the NOPB rail network on the Palantir Foundry platform. UTC Transoceanic is a joint venture between New Orleans-based Transoceanic and Houston-based UTC Overseas. The technology, called TEID-RDC, replaces weeks or months of engineering studies with near-immediate clearance determinations for oversized cargo.
• PalantircoreTechnology or IntegrationPalantir provides the Foundry data platform underlying the AI-powered rail clearance technology deployed through the UTC Transoceanic partnership. The platform enables the digital twin functionality and AI-powered routing recommendations for oversized cargo.
• Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOPB's primary mission partner - the Class III switching railroad serves the Port of New Orleans gateway. Collaborative partnership on AI cargo technology deployment and ongoing port operations including Freedom Intermodal expansion.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Watco Companies: Major operator of Class III short line railroads and rail-served industrial switching facilities across the U.S. Directly comparable to NOPB in business model (short line/switching services for ports and industries), with broader geographic reach.
• Genesee & Wyoming Inc. One of the largest operators of short line and regional freight railroads in North America, with extensive port and industrial switching operations. Comparable to NOPB as a Class II/III switching and short line operator, though at much greater scale and geographic breadth.
• CSX Transportation: Class I freight railroad with interchange relationships serving the Port of New Orleans and broader Gulf region. Comparable as the larger national network that interchanges with NOPB's switching operations.
• Norfolk Southern: Class I freight railroad operating through the Port of New Orleans corridor and the broader Gulf South. Comparable as a Class I partner that interchanges traffic with NOPB and competes for project cargo across the same region.

Direct peers

• Pinsly Railroad Company: Operates multiple Class III short line and switching railroads serving ports, industrial customers, and regional shippers in the eastern U.S. Closely comparable to NOPB in operating model, customer base, and tariff-based switching services.
• Port Terminal Railroad Association: Switching railroad serving the Port of Houston, providing railcar switching and terminal services for one of NOPB's named competitor ports. The closest functional peer to NOPB in terms of port-anchored switching operations and tariff-based service.
• OmniTRAX: Operates a network of short line railroads and industrial switching facilities, including several at ports. Closely matches NOPB's Class III switching business model serving ports and industrial customers under tariff-based pricing.
• Anacostia Rail Holdings: Holdings company for several Class III short line and switching railroads serving ports and industrial customers across the U.S. Directly comparable to NOPB in size, scope, and switching-rail service model.

Others

• Wabtec Corporation: Supplier of rail digital and AI-enabled optimization technologies, including rail planning and routing software. Comparable to NOPB's TEID-RDC partnership as an enabling technology provider in rail digitalization, though Wabtec is a vendor rather than a competing operator.
• UTC Transoceanic: Joint venture between Transoceanic and UTC Overseas that developed the TEID-RDC AI-powered rail clearance platform deployed on NOPB's network. Closely tied to NOPB as the technology co-developer rather than a competing railroad, but highly relevant for the AI cargo clearance offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nopbrr
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCpxNMO3Oq3Lma1wwZjWe6fA
• Facebookfacebook.com/neworleanspublicbeltrr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nopbrr
• Instagraminstagram.com/railnola

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about New Orleans Public Belt Railroad