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Transportation earlier this year
awarded $7.3 million to the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad Corporation (NOPB) to upgrade switches and expand three regional rail yards to provide capacity for storage and sorting for an additional 500 rail cars. The railroad said that these enhancements will move freight through the Port of New Orleans faster and improve efficiency by 30%. “This grant provides us with an
opportunity to increase the safety and capabilities of our railroad,” said Mike Stolzman, the railroad’s general manager. On the intermodal front, the
Quebec Container Terminal, operated by Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) and CN, is scheduled to open in early 2024 and will provide shippers with improved access to markets in Europe, the Mediterranean, and Southeast Asia. More than one hundred companies are supporting the development of Laurentia, the Port of Québec’s deep-water container terminal project. “This project ties into CN’s
unique transcontinental railroad that spans three coasts, providing import and export companies with access to markets across Canada and the U.S. Midwest,” said John-Jacque Ruest, CN’s president
GPA commissions first nine Mason Mega Rail tracks
Georgia Ports Authority’s Mason Mega Rail project, in the works for more than four years and designed to expand service to the Southeast and Midwestern U.S., has passed a major milestone. GPA has put into operation the first nine of 18 new working tracks, with its first two rail-mounted gantry cranes to be commissioned in June. “At the Port of Savannah,
we are working to improve the efficiency of the American supply chain and move goods to market even faster,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. “These efforts are strengthening our logistics network at a time when the nation needs it most.” Lynch said the project would
not have been possible without a generous grant from the U.S. Maritime Administration. He noted that throughout the COVID-19 crisis, dedicated GPA employees and contract workers have continued to press forward, with a daily average of more than 150 people working on the rail expansion, and more than 2.2 million staff hours expended in planning and construction since late 2015. “Additionally, throughout all
this work and the issues related to the coronavirus, GPA and our partners at the International Longshoremen’s Association have continued to provide world-class service to our customers,” Lynch said. The project will include 18
working tracks for improved efficiency moving containers from trains to trucks. “The Mason Mega Rail
Terminal is an incredible example of the federal
government and the port authority working together to keep America’s commerce moving ahead,” said GPA Board Chairman Will McKnight. “Even during this crisis, the disciplined effort involved has been a testament to the vital importance we all place on this nationally significant project.” The expansion will use
an estimated $38 million of American-made steel, McKnight added. The project has so far installed 56,000 feet of new track but will include a total of 129,000 feet when complete - or nearly 24.5 miles. In a related development, a
new overpass on State Road 25 is nearing completion. This new route will carry road traffic over eight tracks linking the current Chatham Yard on the south side of Garden City Terminal with the Mason Mega Rail site to the northwest. The overpass is expected to open in August. The Mason Mega Rail
Terminal will double the Port of Savannah’s rail capacity to 2 million twenty-foot equivalent container units per year. The added capacity will allow GPA to take on new business in a broader service area, reaching well into the U.S. Midwest. Lynch thanked Savannah’s
two Class I railroads, CSX and Norfolk Southern, for providing a competitive option for moving cargo to a Mid-American Arc of cities ranging from Memphis to Chicago. Garden City Terminal averages only 24 hours between vessel discharge and intermodal train departure. Rail transit from Savannah to Memphis provides cargo availability in just 56 hours
Issue 5 2020 - FBJNA
and chief executive officer. “This will provide new options for the movement of consumer goods.” The Laurentia Project includes
a wharf with a 52-foot water depth, capacity to accommodate 13,000 TEU container ships, and a direct connection to CN’s intermodal rail transportation network. HPH and CN are partnering with the Port of Québec on the new intermodal hub.
CN also announced that it is offering integrated solutions
through its Moncton yard aimed at reducing short-haul trucking in Halifax, Nova Scotia. “This intermodal service will play a key role in overall integrated solutions that drive value and support growth in the Atlantic region,” said Ruest.
Optimism
As Asia restarts production, with China reportedly purchasing increased volumes of U.S. grain
as part of the Phase One trade deal, and with the U.S. economy beginning
to reopen, North
American railroads are looking to move forward. Despite the economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Norfolk Southern CEO James Squires said the railroad is well-positioned to
successfully weather the
unprecedented situation. “We will get through the
challenges ahead and emerge as an even stronger company,” he
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said. “We’ll continue to manage our assets well and control our costs. Our emphasis on superior service will continue to drive our long-term growth strategy.” Controlling costs and
maintaining customer service are also the watchwords at CSX. “We are constantly assessing the economic situation and will respond like we always do,” said CEO Foote. “We have worked too hard to get this right to go backwards.”
...ON A WHOLE NEW SCALE OPERATIONAL IN
DOUBLES GPA RAIL CAPACITY TO EXTENDS REACH TO
1 MILLION CONTAINER LIFTS PER YEAR AMERICAN MIDWEST
CUTS TRANSIT TIMES BY 24 HOURS
MASONMEGARAIL.COM
2020
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