CSX plans ‘intermodal’ terminal in area
The rail carrier will spend $8.5 million on project
CSX Inc. is turning a little-used freight yard in Lackawanna into a jumping-off point for ocean-going shipments — potentially giving a boost to area industry.
“It should be fast, and it should save [shippers] some money,” said Pat Whalen, consultant with the World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara, a trade advocacy group.
The rail carrier is outfitting its Seneca yard to handle container traffic, the 40-foot metal boxes that can be loaded directly onto ships and trucks. The completion of the $8.5 million “intermodal” terminal is set to be finished sometime this fall.
“It’s going to significantly increase our presence in Buffalo,” CSX spokesman Bob Sullivan said.
Once the work is complete, CSX plans to run trains between Lackawanna and the docks in Elizabeth, N.J. — skipping much of the usual stop-and-go through upstate towns and cities along the way.
The plan comes as fuel costs rise and truck congestion increases around the Port of New York and New Jersey. Port managers are stepping up plans to move more freight by rail to relieve road tie-ups. “Moving [freight] by rail 300 miles to Buffalo is a lot more cost-effective than it used to be,” said John Cappellino, business retention specialist at the Erie County Industrial Development Agency.
“It’s kind of like the Erie Canal revisited.”
As in the canal’s heyday, the rail link makes Buffalo a hub for shipments to and from New York. Having the intermodal terminal in Lackawanna could boost business for warehouses and distributors nearby.
Other carriers also have intermodal terminals in their rail yards around Buffalo, Cappellino said. The Seneca upgrade adds to that capacity, and is distinguished by CSX’s plan to run fast trains to the port.
Shipping by train burns onethird as much fuel as by truck, and emits one-tenth as much greenhouse gas, according to CSX.
However, Sullivan said information on rates was unavailable because prices are set by contract with individual customers. Nor did he know the number of trains to be run.
With imports flooding the U.S., deliveries of consumer goods to the Lackawanna yard are expected to make up much of the traffic.
But on the flip side, area industries have their own oceanbound traffic to send in the other direction.
Companies like Unifrax in Niagara Falls and Goodyear- Dunlop in Tonawanda are shipping out as well as in, Whalen said, supporting local manufacturing jobs through exporting.
“If you do business globally you have to ship both ways . . . because you need components,” he said.
Area shippers have long awaited the upgrade of the Seneca terminal, which has been discussed for years, officials said.
Well it looks like the Gateway Metro Port just got reactivated
Now this development takes the Central Terminal and its surrounding rail yards to a whole new level. It makes it more likely for a light rail extension to the airport, more likely for the Central Terminal to be reactivated as a passenger rail station and it makes it more possible to have its space redeveloped office space for logistics businesses.
You got railroaded! The beautiful paved roadway leading into the old Seneca Yard is a Dead END at CP-5. The road just ends, no intermodol yard, just rusty rails.Originally Posted by Timmy
The port of Buffalo is ramping up and so are the rail and trucking facilities but you are right...its not happening nearly as fast as predicted nor having as much of an impact as predicted.The Buffalo News (2006-12-01)
Shipping isn't the economic mainstay it used to be, but the Port of Buffalo in Lackawanna is seeing a dramatic rise in cargo - which quadrupled to 200,000 metric tons last year.
I guess all we can do is wait and hope....for the next phase
a man should wait and hope for the next phase while living with his parents
however, unlike your wisecrack, I understand the historical and geographical importance of Buffalo with regard to the logistics industry and have great hopes that this industry can grow and regain its traditional contribution to our economy.
Its an industry that is still here in Buffalo and WNY but to often we act as little more than a pass thru conduit.....we dont add value to the billions of dollars in goods that pass thru our region. Hoever, the opportunity is always there for that to change.
I had heard that CSX was going to increase its presence in the Lackawana area and if they actually do follow through this will be good news for the area. Has anyone heard if this is moving forward?
Sorry Redwine, seems no one has an answer for you;
isn't there an engineer out there somewhere you can ask?
Hey Wheresthesun! No people with any info on this subject. Time will tell. Don't be affaid to call me once in a while.
interesting. though i've been hearing from csx workers (i got a family full of them) that there may be layoffs in the near future.
One beautiful thing about having a government of the corporations, by the corporations, and for the corporations is that every disaster is measured in terms of economic loss. It's sort of like getting your arm sheared off in a car accident and thinking, "Damn, now it'll take longer to fold the laundry" as blood spurts from your arteries. - The Rude Pundit
Wheresthesun! Was your reply those faces?
an expression is worth a thousand words, sometimes...
rail can only get more important now that gas is $3.50 a gallon
Hey wheresthesun! I though non-verbal communication was about 80% of the message. What the heck do those faces mean??? Especially the guy with the big eyes.
With oil prices at high levels, there may be more of a commitment to fund rail activities.
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