Tuesday, September 16, 2008
MD Chamber Transportation Coalition Discusses National Gateway Project
CSX Transportation Inc. Director of Public Affairs Jason French spoke to the Maryland Chamber of Commerce Transportation Coalition about the National Gateway, a project aiming to connect Mid-Atlantic ports with Midwestern markets with more efficient rail routes.
The project includes making preparations for double stack clearance along three major corridors—the I-95 corridor between North Carolina and Baltimore, the I-70 corridor between Washington, D.C. and northwest Ohio, and the Carolina Corridor between Wilmington, North Caroline and Charlotte, North Carolina.
According to French, the project comes at a time when rail investments are more appealing from an economic standpoint as highway maintenance costs, the severity of highway congestion, and the demand for commuter rail services grow.
Among the benefits of the capacity expansion listed were that it would alleviate highway congestion by transporting loads by rail instead of trucks. The expansion would also allow for more environmentally-friendly transport, as railroads are three or more times more fuel efficient than other modes of transport, French said.
Depending on the availability of state and federal funding, CSX Transportation hopes the project will be completed by 2015 according to the project Web site.
For more information or to join the Transportation Coalition, contact Allyson Black, Vice President of Government Affairs, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
