Buford v. United States

OPINION and ORDER

SMITH, Senior Judge:

Pending before the Court are the Parties’ Cross-Motions for Summary Judgment in a “rails-to-trails” case. Plaintiffs include 15 Mississippi propei'ty owners who allege a Fifth Amendment taking of their properties, which were subject to a raih’oad right-of-way in Warren County, Mississippi.

Pursuant to a Petition for Exemption to abandon its rail line, the Surface Transportation Board allowed Kansas City Southern Railroad to enter into an agreement with the City of Vicksburg to convert the railroad line into a recreational trail. Plaintiffs argue that the…