More Business For The Port of Halifax.

[murray83]

To be honest i'm not shure it could be but I'm not really the person to know.

The proposed LNG terminal in Maine and Searsport & Eastport are only open for smaller ships due the the rocky ocean floor.Searsport for years has been looking to build a container terminal but it won't ever work with the fact the Maine government seems to think more on tourism than keeping the jobs in that state which is a shame.

Charlston (sp?),New York and Halifax are the big 3 ports for container traffic on the atlantic seabord but with CN's lack of brains Halifax may slowly fall off that map the other 2 have very strong competitive rail service.

[lock4244]

The shame is that it is the management and operating philosophy at CN that is killing the Port of Halifax. They run their intermodal service out of Halifax like a long distance local... at least in the Halifax to Chicago lane. One train, many tasks, take it or leave it. Would forcing CP access improve the situation, probably, but in my mind it amounts to Gov't confiscation of what is private property. I have a problem with that. Access should be negotiated between RR's, never forced.

If CP wanted into Halifax, they'd approach CN with the idea, knowing they'd have to give CN access somewhere in return. CN and CP have recently co-operated in ventures like this. Recent example: CP can use CN tracks sending a train a day between Chicago and Komoka (west of London), ON., and in exchange CP hauls traffic for CN into the US Northeast on it's D&H lines. CN might not mind another company sharing the cost of the mainline in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, but they aren't going to allow it without getting access to CP lines. Why should they?

As an aside, CP was quite happy to be rid of their operations in the Maritimes... doubtful they's want to return. Any traffic they could get from access to Halifax they already have access to via Montreal. The container shipping companies call the shots as to where their ships call, so if the service stinks at Halifax, they go elsewhere. They (CP) set their sights on the Port of Montreal and they seem to be winning there... even with inferior routes to Chicago and Western Canada. Seems to me that Halifax's only chance to grow will be for overflow traffic that other ports can't handle.

CN doesn't need a monopoly to survive. They get the lion's share of finished auto traffic out of the GM plant in Oshawa, ON., for example... a plant directly served by both CN and CP. CN wins those contracts with better pricing and the service to back it up. As far as Halifax is concerned, CN just doesn't seem all that interested in the Port. Weird.

As I've stated before, it kinda makes you wonder what kind of service they'll give the container Port at Price Rupert, BC. My guess it more of the same. Containers hauled on regular manifest freights to Edmonton, then added to the appropriate train to Chicago, Winnipeg, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal.

[johnpbarlow]

Is CN's single Halifax to Toronto/Chicago route sufficient to sustain incremental growth of Asian/Euro traffic from shipping lines who want to use Halifax as an uncongested port? That is, how much of the traffic that comes into the port of NY is destined for the mid-Atlantic states? If Halifax is to be seen as an alternative to NY, won't CN have to figure out a way to get double stacks from Halifax to distribution centers in PA (eg, Harrisburg), NY, NJ, etc, where the consumer population centers are?

[lock4244]

CN could either shorthaul it to St John, NB., and hand off to the New Brunswick Southern, who hands it to MMA, then to GRS, then NS. I think they breifly tried this or a similar scheme. Or hand it to CP in Montreal, and CP could send it down the D&H. Or, and most likely, they could sent it to Buffalo Via Toronto and hand off to CSX and NS. This would be the most likely scenario so CN could avoid shorthauling themselves and make more $$$. Not sure how fast or efficient that'd be. Probably more work for 149 to perform

CN could handle more growth in the Halifax - Detriot (to CSX & NS) & Chicago lane, and get it to Detriot & Chicago pretty fast... if they don't use the trains as long-distance intermodal wayfreights. They do that now.

[CROR410]

The shame is that it is the management and operating philosophy at CN that is killing the Port of Halifax. They run their intermodal service out of Halifax like a long distance local... at least in the Halifax to Chicago lane. One train, many tasks, take it or leave it.

As far as Halifax is concerned, CN just doesn't seem all that interested in the Port. Weird.

As I've stated before, it kinda makes you wonder what kind of service they'll give the container Port at Price Rupert, BC.

HH gave a speech to the business and rail communities of Halifax last year. He did a lot of talking about Prince Rupert. When he talked about Halifax he had his hands up palms facing the people when trying to sell to them......in my opinion it was obvious that Halifax is the last thing on their mind. Spend the least amount of money possible on the service.

I hope the Port find ways to get more and/or improved rail service.

[CN9634]

It's too bad the Deep water port of Portland wasn't utilized by GRS, whos tracks are not connected to but are about 100 yards away from and could easily connect to the existing Intermodal Terminal.
CN doesn't care about the east. I'd like to see (In a perfect world) New Brunswick Southern get a hold of the line from St. John to Halifax. If they did that and teamed up with GRS/NS they'd have an awesome service going for em. The only problem with that is getting trains over GRS...
Maybe a NBSR/MMA/CP Coalition would be better..

[CROR410]

I'd like to see (In a perfect world) New Brunswick Southern get a hold of the line from St. John to Halifax.

What line is this? There's only one lay of track into Halifax that I am aware of, and CN owns it.

[murray83]

Well CN owns the line from Moncton NB into Halifax NS and that will never change hands,also CN owns the line from Moncton to Saint John which CN makes its money on potash from the mine near Sussex NB.

Guilford and the MMA are useless when it comes to interchange with the NBSR they are constantly late and screw up anything that comes their way.The NBSR all together stoped sending containers through the MMA and send them through CN due to the poor service.I've been stuck at work many times waiting on containers that both GRS/MMA have screwed up.

The NBSR is no better try getting them to switch the terminal at the correct time,since they started up in 1995 not once have they switched the port on time CP was always early and the port was beyond busy.

[lock4244]

Just a question for Murray... how busy is the intermodal terminal in Moncton? TRAINS listed it as a terminal in one of their recent issues and they had it in a category above Halifax (in terms of annual lifts, 250,000 per year IIRC). Is that true? Are they including St. John originated traffic in this figure? Is Moncton a regional hub for domestic cans?

[murray83]

Ummm not too shure on Moncton,when we unload a container ship here in Saint John we sent it through Moncton then onto Montreal/West so that could be boosting those numbers,also Armour transport has been shipping quite often from that terminal in Moncton.

That intermodal yard you speak of is basically gravel base and a COCAR (container forklift) used to load/unload the containers,I'm surprised it would rank up there with Halifax I can see containers going through Moncton on it way to their destinations but the terminal itself I'm unaware of.

[lock4244]

So, more inaccurate information from TRAINS. Lovely.

HH will be around into 2009, probably longer. CN will, IMHO, hit a brick wall with their cost cutting, and either face the reality that they have to work to grow business or go to the investors with less favorable profits. Is it me, or is CN getting most of it's growth from cost sutting? Halifax could be a real boon to the company if there is leadership that want's to work to grow the traffic, but the current guys only seem to know how to cut, consolidate, reduce service, etc.

Anyone remember the Roadrailer CN ran between Toronto and Montreal a few years ago? Avaeraged 65 trailers a night from what people have told me (I never saw it myself, just that Ecorail thing), plus it had a five platform "Iron Highway" type car on it. They axed it during the last major stike on CN. Why?