Railroad Forums
Moderator: David
Trainlawyer wrote:The plant is being converted to natural gas over the next few years. The pipe is going to use its own right-of-way from Millville. There is no plan to remove the railroad. Would you mind telling us where you read that?The station's last coal unit is scheduled for shut down not later than May of 2015. The cost to South Jersey Gas to acquire a new right of way for the pipeline would be substantial. Easements over existing rail or electric transmission rights of way are far less costly, and avoid the need for eminent domain, some nimbys, wetlands issues, Pinelands Commission issues, etc. The NJBPU also prefers using existing rights of way (far less political sensitivity). My educated guess is that South Jersey will for those reasons want to use the rail right of way, at least from Tuckahoe, for those reasons. Given, if I am correct that there are no other customers on the line, I suspect that the railroad will be willing to negotiate.
GME
alewifebp wrote:No real reason it can't be shared. I believe in Roxbury, NY, at the end of the U&D track, they have a NYC water tunnel running under the tracks for some portion. That portion is built to accommodate the potential for limited rail service to run over that.Agree that rights of way if wide enough can be shared and commonly are. However, especially with hazmat pipelines such as natural gas, sharing may increase construction and maintenance costs for both pipeline and railroad. From what I understand the line from Tuckahoe to the generating station does not have any other freight business, and is minimally maintained for the coal trains. The railroad may want to sell the property to avoid maintenance, taxes, potential tort liability, and so forth once the coal business disappears. There is also a need for reinforcement of electric transmission in that area; it is possible that Atlantic City Electric might find the right of way attractive as well. In either case it may be possible to preserve the potential for reuse as a rail line if the right of way is wide enough.
State Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Jim S. Simpson has approved Lower Township’s request for “Exempt Crossing” status for the railroad crossings at Breakwater and Tabernacle roads between Seashore Road and Route 9.Full story: http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/arti ... c-comments
JimBoylan wrote:How do we change the title of this discussion to 2013?I believe either a moderator or the original poster needs to do that.
northjerseybuff wrote:Any plans to run into Cape May this year?Yes. As of now, they are putting all of their efforts to get into Cape May sometime this summer. That track theft really hurt though.
