Intermodal

Port of Charleston Capacity Set to Expand

South Carolina Ports plans to purchase the former WestRock paper mill site in North Charleston, S.C., to expand port capacity at the Port of Charleston. The roughly 280-acre industrial waterfront property sits adjacent to

How It Works: FLOW Data Inputs and Outputs—Members of the FLOW program (e.g., beneficial cargo owners, ocean carriers, ports, terminals, railroads) share individual logistics data (highlighted in bold in the graphic above) with the USDOT and in return receive an aggregated, anonymized, and holistic view of the relationship between incoming containers (demand), the available assets to move containers (supply), and throughput within a supply chain region. Incoming demand is shared up to 90 days in advance of arrival. (USDOT Graphic)

USDOT Marks Milestone on Second Anniversary of FLOW

The Freight Logistics Optimizations Works (FLOW) platform is now publishing data on inland freight hubs, including rail terminal and warehouse end destination data, that will provide an “enhanced view” of future container import volumes and traffic, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) reported March 20, the second anniversary of the platform’s launch to provide an integrated view of supply chain conditions in the United States and to help users forecast how current capacity and throughput will fare against future demand.

This map shows the lines of Genesee & Wyoming-owned Meridian & Bigbee Railroad (MNBR) in relation to other rail lines in the territory and the principal geographic points in the region traversed. (Map Courtesy of CPKC)

STB Issues Draft EA for Proposed CSXT, CPKC Acquisitions of Ala., Miss. Rail Line

The Surface Transportation Board’s (STB) Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) on March 18 issued a Draft Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) for CSX Transportation’s (CSXT) request to acquire and operate the assets comprising the rail line of Genesee & Wyoming-owned Class III Meridian & Bigbee Railroad, L.L.C. (MNBR) that runs approximately 93.7 miles between Burkville and Myrtlewood, Ala., and Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s (CPKC) request to acquire from MNBR and to operate approximately 50.4 miles of rail line between Meridian, Miss., and Myrtlewood, Ala.

Class I Briefs: CSX, CN, UP, NS

CSX donates $10,000 to the Red Cross for storm relief efforts. Also, CN and Union Pacific (UP) are recognized by CDP as 2023 Supplier Engagement Leaders; CN sends a “supply chain salute” to MacroSource, LLC for their new facility in Memphis, Tenn.; and Norfolk Southern (NS) honors customer sustainability achievements.

Commentary

BNSF Desperate for an Inflection

The Smokehouse Creek wildfire in Texas, which severed BNSF’s Transcon route on February 27, was the latest in a series of problems that have significantly slowed BNSF’s network and impacted service. After

Commentary

Are You Ready for 2024?

Rail Equipment Finance 2024: Does anyone remember the saying “In Like a Lion—Out Like a Lamb”? Intermodal loadings ended 2023 on a strong note and started out 2024 positive as well. The