SIRR container traffic to NJ to start this month....

Could a legal way to get this information be (despite whatever CSX might wish) to consult the copy of the train handling instructions that CSX is required to submit to the Federal Railroad Administration by Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 217, Section 217.7?
The F.R.A. has commented that some railroads don't have separate mailing list for just rules, timetables, and special instructions. Instead, the F.R.A. is added to a more general mailing list and also receives calendars, picnic notices, and lists of safety rules of the day, etc. There could be quite a treasure trove in Washington!
Connecting railroads that share track with CSX might also be on such "exchange" mailing lists and have different privacy policies about who may read what CSX sends them.

DISCLAIMER: I work for a railroad that is not paid by CSX to keep secret whatever rules CSX sends us.

*bump*

Back on topic: any intermodal moving yet?

DogBert wrote:*bump*

Back on topic: any intermodal moving yet?

It is supposed to start today young lad!

Well it looks like our Thoroughbred Pony boys really dropped the ball again on this one and CSX might not be doing all that much better. The little traffic that will be coming out of SI will be tacked on to the end of 1 CSX train in each direction. One small step in the right direction for CSX, and another step backwards for our friends at NS. Unfortunately, it seems like they are more interested in entertaining people with OCS vacations than actually trying to gain traffic from a newly connected port. Most of the traffic out of SI will actually be taking a different route... it will be travelling very near the NS Lehigh Line on I-78. Delays will continue, surcharges will follow and the railroads will sit there twiddling their thumbs, happy with the current low traffic levels out of NJ and not making any moves toward the future.

Only train buffs have created the fantasy of a new train coming off Staten Island. The Port Authority said several years ago that the carriers would bring the traffic to Port Newark to be added to existing trains.

NS did not secure the traffic and their competitor did. This is dropping the ball how? Should they charge less than the cost of moving the freight so as to capture the traffic? Your pronouncement that that most of the traffic will go out via I-78 is based on what real facts now exactly? Not your opinions, not the fact that there are lots of trucks on 78, but real facts from somewhere that show where containers leaving Howland Hook are headed by rubber wheels that rail could compete with.

SecaucusJunction wrote:Well it looks like our Thoroughbred Pony boys really dropped the ball again on this one and CSX might not be doing all that much better. The little traffic that will be coming out of SI will be tacked on to the end of 1 CSX train in each direction. One small step in the right direction for CSX, and another step backwards for our friends at NS. Unfortunately, it seems like they are more interested in entertaining people with OCS vacations than actually trying to gain traffic from a newly connected port. Most of the traffic out of SI will actually be taking a different route... it will be travelling very near the NS Lehigh Line on I-78. Delays will continue, surcharges will follow and the railroads will sit there twiddling their thumbs, happy with the current low traffic levels out of NJ and not making any moves toward the future.

Shouldnt I get the credit for saying this. If you would kindly read my posts from late LAST YEAR, I said this all along. I do find it funny that you think shipping containers that spent weeks on a boat are "time sensitive" that just shows you really dont have a clue about the strides that Both railroads are making in the North Jersey Considated Terminal.

rcbsd45 wrote:The Wobbler does make a point. He should recall that CSX started the traffic from PNCT(adjacent to the Dockside terminal at Port newark, NJ) as a yard job, Y223 a few years ago, and when the traffic increased, it developed into its own trains, the Q163/Q162. So the potential is there. Whether or not it takes place is something else.
And as he is someone who is NOT an employee, I find it interesting(as others may) that he is quoting an employee publication that is NOT for the general public, and therefore he has no business of being in posession thereof. His citation of the specific publication is a deliberate divulging of company business/affairs, a violation of a CSX general rule. of course, as a "civilian", he is not governed by railroad policies as are employees. Been there, done that, and I know he'll probably say a specific employee gave him the publication(he tried this tactic once before, and without success) so as to save his own hide and go after others. Desperate people do desperate things.
Wobbler should stick to his armchair quarterbacking, and not tip his hand by quoting company documents verbatim(as he has done in the past) that as a non employee he has no business posessing or disseminating publicly. He really ought to learn to cover his tracks better.
I shall now don my flame retardant/Wanderer resistant suit. If he has a gripe, take it off the board; I've said my piece.

Sorry, am I missing something here? You're whining because someone has a corporate document who isn't an employee? Are you serious??? I've got publications from Exxon/Mobil. I'm a stockholder, not an employee, am I a criminal? And I haven't seen any objections from you about the employee timetables and the like being sold at railroad shows, many times by employees themselves (read Gallo & Rielly). If you have an axe to grind, do it someplace else and spare us the drama.

Sirsonic wrote:Only train buffs have created the fantasy of a new train coming off Staten Island. The Port Authority said several years ago that the carriers would bring the traffic to Port Newark to be added to existing trains.

I had the link to that article that Sirsonic is inadvertently referencing, but I can't seem to find it at the moment. But, yeah, as was stated previously by a ton of people, and now reinforced by Sirsonic, the only chances of a "new train" will be when they have to chop up the existing ones due to excessive length and/or weight; which are already pushing the limits, as previously discussed.

Wolfboy8171981 wrote:Shouldnt I get the credit for saying this. If you would kindly read my posts from late LAST YEAR, I said this all along. I do find it funny that you think shipping containers that spent weeks on a boat are "time sensitive" that just shows you really dont have a clue about the strides that Both railroads are making in the North Jersey Considated Terminal.

Yes, you should. And just as a reality check, container shipping is generally not used for time sensitive shipments, unless by time sensitive you mean a "strict, preplanned, long term timeline". If it's truly time sensitive, the consignee will use jet freight (aka: air freight) or use a service such as FedEx or UPS Custom Critical International.

Sirsonic wrote:Only train buffs have created the fantasy of a new train coming off Staten Island. The Port Authority said several years ago that the carriers would bring the traffic to Port Newark to be added to existing trains.

NS did not secure the traffic and their competitor did. This is dropping the ball how? Should they charge less than the cost of moving the freight so as to capture the traffic? Your pronouncement that that most of the traffic will go out via I-78 is based on what real facts now exactly? Not your opinions, not the fact that there are lots of trucks on 78, but real facts from somewhere that show where containers leaving Howland Hook are headed by rubber wheels that rail could compete with.

Don't bother explaining, or trying to get an explination from him. His opinion is fact, experiance means squat. What SJ says is gospel. NS sucks, and is the source of all evil.

Well I'm not sure that anywhere in that quote that you got from me, it says anything about time sensative material. Nonetheless, I work for an import company and can tell you that the slower the route is on the water, the more the customer is complaining about how fast it needs to get there. These trains might not be on time to the minute, but they are certainly more important timewise than trash trains or empty junk freights. Now lets say that this whole thing turns out wonderfully and new opportunities come around for freight traffic that wasnt on the rails before... Terrific! Thats one good thing that has happened in the past 8 years. We can get a dozen or so trucks off the road. Nonetheless, the percentage of freight hauled in the east by railroads is still FAR below what it is out west. One bridge re-opening is not going to be the magic potion for the "freight renaissance" in the Northeast. MAJOR investments are needed by both railroads if anything good is going to happen. Too bad these railroads paid too much for Conrail and now have turned cheap. It is good for the railroads and in everyone's best interest for freight to be taken off the roads. Nevertheless, until BNSF comes in and takes over the whole mess, it wont happen. With all of the predictions of traffic being taken from trucks, NS is running hardly more than half a dozen intermodal trains from NJ to the west. If they knew how to run a railroad, it would be double or triple that.

There was photos posted on Trainorders of the crews training with a small cut of well cars. That engine they got sure looks sharp..

NEW CARGO SERVICE BEGINS LINKING STATEN ISLAND TO NATION’S MAJOR RAIL FREIGHT NETWORK
Date: June 28, 2007
Press Release Number: 57-2007


New Ship-to-Rail Facility at Howland Hook Will Remove
Up to 100,000 Trucks a Year from Region’s Bridges and Roads


Cargo containers were transported off the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island by rail for the first time today, launching the facility’s ship-to-rail cargo transfer facility. The reactivation of the Staten Island Railroad and the opening of Howland Hook’s ExpressRail Staten Island facility will result in 330 new permanent jobs in the region and the removal of up to 100,000 trucks a year from the Goethals Bridge, and state and local roads.

The containers were unloaded from the Hapag Lloyd vessel Adrian and placed on rail cars destined for Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; Detroit and Chicago.

Port Authority Chairman Anthony R. Coscia said, “Introducing rail service at our port terminals is a critical part of our strategy for handling the continuous increases in cargo entering our port in a way that is both economically productive and environmentally responsible. Our $530 million portwide investment in on-dock rail will help us to meet the challenges of cargo growth while remaining good environmental stewards for years to come.”

Port Authority Executive Director Anthony E. Shorris said, “Adding rail cargo capacity to Howland Hook allows us to square a circle – growing our port while helping the environment. In the nation’s most densely populated urban area, getting 100,000 trucks a year off the road is very good news, especially when we can contribute more than $200 million per year to the region’s economy at the same time.”

New York City Economic Development Corporation President Robert C. Lieber said, “This important rail freight system will play a key role in the successful implementation of Mayor Bloomberg’s PLANYC 2030 sustainability program. EDC is pleased to have played an integral part in making the rail service a reality by reactivating the Staten Island Railroad and the rehabilitating the Arthur Kill Lift Bridge.”

The $26 million ExpressRail Staten Island facility was built on a 39-acre parcel on the former Procter & Gamble site, which was purchased by the Port Authority in December 2000.

ExpressRail Staten Island consists of five tracks that are linked to the reactivated Staten Island Railroad. Containers are loaded onto rail cars and transported via the Staten Island Railroad to the Conrail Main Line in Elizabeth, N.J., which connects to the nation’s extensive rail freight network.

The rail facility required the reactivation of the Staten Island Railroad. It also required the rehabilitation of the Arthur Kill Lift Bridge and the construction of a rail link from the bridge to the Chemical Coast line to allow cargo-laden trains access to the national rail freight network.

The ship-to-rail terminal has the capacity to handle up to 100,000 containers per year.

http://panynj.com/AboutthePortAuthority ... php?id=962

Does anyone have any pics of anything crossing the bridge yet?

Just caught the NYCT loco moving about 30 single stacks out of the terminal and dropped them off in Arlington yard. At 10:30 am

Will post pics later

If you haven't already seen it,found these on YouTube:

BY8:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4zvhbFhfgE


NYCT:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyEG90gkflI