Portland Waterfront Rail Ops (Yard 8, Intermodal, etc)

Here is a link to the article:

http://bangordailynews.com/2017/07/13/b ... ing-plant/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://bangordailynews.com/2017/07/13/b ... ing-plant/

Due to wear and tear, track speeds are limited to about 10 mph on the Lincoln to Waterville track line owned by Pan-Am Railways, said Poland Spring Senior Natural Resource Manager Thomas Brennan.

That means that trains running from Lincoln to the Pan Am Railways facility the company uses in Waterville — 110 miles by road — would take nine hours to arrive.

“That’s not favorable,” Brennan said Wednesday. “Improved rail service could play a key role in where we go.”

That's about as big a flag as can be waved. Given the economic importance of this project to a depressed area I would imagine there will be serious consideration given to any proposal for capital improvements.

But, the yet-to-be-built plant could be located anywhere. Millinocket/East Millinocket comes to mind for the area. Those communities also need or could use new business.

The Millinocket area wouldn't pencil cost wise for Poland Springs. With that location, your talking a second railroad, CMQ, just to move their product to NMJ.

I don't get what rail speed to Lincoln has to do with anything if they need to ship it to Waterville to be loaded onto IM anyway? Or are they saying they would want direct rail service to the plant? Wonder if they foresee box car or even a small ramp somewhere in Lincoln.

Maybe PS and/or PAR are thinking to use available box cars to ship water to a Devens based warehouse for final drayage to southern New England / NYC? Or west in containers on 23K? Kind of a water version of how PAR handles paper these days...

Lincoln will be directly rail served. Same with Fryeburg.

Yes, Lincoln. No, no, no, no...absolutely no...Fryeburg. There isn't enough foam in the world to make the cost of restoring the Mountain Div. pay back its investment for PS when Fryeburg is accessible out of NHN Ossippee transload on major truck route NH 16. That rumor only got teased to goose the bidding war at other sites; the P&L math flat-out doesn't work--by a HUGE margin--for direct rail to Fryeburg.

gokeefe wrote:Lincoln will be directly rail served. Same with Fryeburg.

I would say, Lincoln "might" be direct. 50 route miles to upgrade for one customer, the tonnage and rates are going to have to be quite high to justify that.

If the Port of Saint John's expansion goes well, and the Poland Spring plant in Lincoln is a half decade away, the cost to upgrade may be split between two customers, and Poland Spring would be the smaller of the two...Of course that's counting on a whole lot of "ifs."

Pan Am has spotted Emskip containers once again in the loading area on Commercial Street after about a month of no action.
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newpylong wrote:

gokeefe wrote:Lincoln will be directly rail served. Same with Fryeburg.

I would say, Lincoln "might" be direct. 50 route miles to upgrade for one customer, the tonnage and rates are going to have to be quite high to justify that.

Clarification: The site for the bottling plant is rail served. As newpylong and the BDN note there are some barriers to use.

Tonnage from PS overall is expected to grow ... a lot.

The news articles say they haven't even selected a site yet so how can it currently be rail served if no one knows where it is?

newpylong wrote:The news articles say they haven't even selected a site yet so how can it currently be rail served if no one knows where it is?

The site in Lincoln that PS is considering for their plant is rail served in the sense that it's directly on the line.