by F-line to Dudley via Park
bostontrainguy wrote:From what I managed to dig up from a 2013 Massport Strategic Plan progress report they've got a bulk cargo and cold storage facility by Cargo Ventures, Inc. listed as "imminent" for the first rail user down there. Of course, checking Cargo Ventures' website they also list construction beginning 2010...so everything is way out-of-date there.BostonUrbEx wrote:What is the deal with that "new" secured building that Massport built at the end of track 61? It seems to be capable of loading or unloading ships through the 15 pipe-like things on the roof. Is that the purpose of those things? Have they actually ever been used?F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:-- Reactivating East Boston Branch and its yard. After all, it almost happened before the NIMBY's torpedoed Global Petroleum's ethanol-mixing operation.Did they really? Or did Global just not want to fight it and put the plans away?
IIRC, all the NIMBYs "accomplished" was a state law about moving ethanol/petroleum products in the urban core, which the state has no legal right to do. Unless I'm missing something here.
I'm still shocked that MassPort doesn't push activating the Mystic Wharf Branch. Meanwhile they have all this big talk of expanding Track 61 at a higher cost. Mystic Wharf is already functioning as an autoport and salt off-load operation. But the Fid Kennedy Wharf is going to suck up all their money and time?
I thought it was weird that Massport was going to build a cement facility at the new Marine Terminal (plans now scraped) when there was this unused facility also on Track 61.
And I wonder if Massport made a play to retain Eimskip at this spot since there is an actual ship-to-rail ability at this location with never used (?) pier trackage.
With these existing relatively new unused facilities at the end of a useable rail line, it would seem that Massport isn't really all that serious about getting freight rail to the Port. What incentive is there to reactivate Mystic Piers when they aren't even using facilities that have been sitting there dormant for years?
Also don't know if Massport ultimately got its TIGER grant for the Track 61 reconstruction or if it's still sitting in the queue for consideration on the next round of awards.
Massport's really bad at updating their website. Compared to MassDOT it's all moldy and hard-to-find.