Railroad Forums
Moderator: MEC407
newpylong wrote:I know - I used to live less than 10 miles from there.
They would never use rail to their door. The products come from too many sources and there is not enough volume. They would dray from an IM terminal.
The closest thing to a big box store using rail to door is Home Depot and their regional lumber warehouses.
... MassDEP is very concerned about New England Transrail, LLC d/b/a Wilmington & Woburn Terminal Railway's (NET) lack of transparency concerning their proposed project.
The project's description has changed over the years and MassDEP believes it is appropriate for NET to fully set forth in detail the project, including engineering drawings depicting the placement of buildings and rail tracks, along with a description of the amounts and types of materials and wastes to be brought to the site, and the description of any processing to be conducted at the site. Without more detail about NET's project, MassDEP does not see how a proper environmental analysis can be conducted.
Specifically regarding EPA's letter, MassDEP has three other areas of concern. First, MassDEP notes that slurry wall (located along the perimeter of the containment area) has an unknown bearing capacity. MassDEP recommends a 50 foot buffer zone (or other specific delineated boundary) be instituted at the edges of the containment area to prevent any site redevelopment work from potentially damaging the slurry wall or temporary cap. MassDEP notes that the current configuration of New England Transrail, LLC' s proposed development appears to encroach on this proposed buffer zone if not the containment area itself.
Second, MassDEP agrees with EPA's recommendation to the Board that a more rigorous full Environmental Impact Statement, rather than an Environmental Assessment, is more appropriate for the Olin Site. It would be helpful if the level and type of coordination between the Office Environmental Analysis and EPA (meetings, updates, reports, etc,) be agreed to and explained prior to the commencement of the process.
Third, MassDEP asks EPA to clarify that if NET's redevelopment of the property interferes with the selected remedy for the site, then NET may take on liability for the remediation of the site.
The Project will consist of three basic areas:Let's hope for expedited STB approval!
(1) The Northeast corner of the facility, which will contain tracks to unload center-beam and bulkhead flat cars to be transloaded onto trucks within a covered warehouse structure;
(2) The Center of the facility, which will contain interchange and transloading tracks allowing the unloading of tank and hopper cars; and
(3) The West side of the facility, which will contain interchange tracks and transloading tracks allowing the unloading of box cars into a cross-dock warehouse.
Here is a complete list of the construction activities that will take place at the contemplated Facility:
• 10,838' of new and rehabilitated track, adding to the 5727' of existing track to be acquired
• 1 mainline # 10 MBTA turnout;
• 23 Industry #8 turnouts;
• 12 Bumping posts;
• 6 HB Derails;
• Repair to the paving at the existing railroad crossings at Eames Street in the vicinity of the site;
• 65,000 square feet of at-grade warehouse with an enclosed truck loading area;
• 240,000 square feet of building (built in phases) as a cross-dock/warehouse transloading facility (60,000 of which would be temperature controlled) for
palleted and bagged products transloading from railcars to trucks;
• 1,135,000 square feet of paving for driveways for trucks to access the transloading buildings;
• Two truck scales and a rail scale to weigh trucks and railcars for purposes ofbilling and determine railcar loadings so as not to exceed rail load limitations;
• Site work, storm water control and utilities related to the foregoing;
• Transload racks, pumps and piping for transloading liquid materials;
• Storage tanks for liquid materials; and
• Water tanks for fire, safety and cleaning requirements
In addition, NET will acquire and operate several switch engine locomotives and track mobiles,
and miscellaneous rail maintenance equipment and transloading equipment (such as fork lifts,
container loaders, portable pumps and conveyored hoppers). (
