On This Page: I.   Project Background       a. Panama Canal       b. Port of Baltimore       c. National Gateway II.  Project Description III. Project Schedule IV. Project Location V.  e-Updates

CSX's Existing Operations at the Port of Baltimore

 
I. Project Background
 
Transportation infrastructure is critical to the continued prosperity of our businesses, institutions, and communities. We operate in an increasingly inter-connected and global economy, in which we rely upon a complex transportation network comprised of highways, railways, airways, and waterways.  Rising energy prices, environmental constraints, and shrinking budgets demand attention toward efficiency and green transportation initiatives. In order for Maryland’s businesses and communities to flourish in this global economy, the State’s local infrastructure must keep pace.

Significant investments in transportation infrastructure are already slated to roll out over the next few years—some in Maryland; others in neighboring states and abroad. These infrastructure investments include the following:
 

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal Authority is leading an effort to widen the Panama Canal, which will double the capacity of the canal. This project creates an opportunity for the Port of Baltimore to capture a new container traffic originating in Asian countries—traffic that, previously, by-passed eastern ports and traveled instead to ports on the west coast before arriving to Maryland via truck and train.
 

Port of Baltimore

The Maryland Port Administration and Ports America are working under a 50-year, joint-partnership agreement that will bring new investment to the Port of Baltimore. This will make it possible for the Port to accommodate additional traffic traveling from the Panama Canal.

These important investments include the addition of a berth with an operating depth of 50 feet and four super cranes. This operating-berth depth is required for the type of mega-ships that will soon be able to travel to Maryland via the Panama Canal. When this work is completed in mid-2012, Baltimore will be one of two ports on the east coast with this operating-berth depth.
 

National Gateway

CSX Transportation, Inc. and its affiliates (CSX) are working with the U.S. Department of Transportation with support from Governors in six states and the District of Columbia to raise the vertical height of bridges and tunnels along CSX’s rail network and build intermodal facilities in six key markets. These improvements will occur over a phased development schedule as part of an ongoing project known as the National Gateway.
 

This $850 million public-private partnership will improve the flow of rail traffic throughout the nation by creating a new double-stacked rail corridor that connects Baltimore and other key mid-Atlantic ports to markets in the Midwest and the South.
 

By definition, double-stack trains carry two containers on top of one another on a single car.  In this manner a double-stack train can transport up to twice the amount of freight as a single-stack train of equal length.  Encouraging use of double-stack trains will result in fewer highway miles traveled, faster connecting service, and lower overall transportation costs—savings that will alleviate pressure on our highways and lower the cost of doing business in the State of Maryland.
 

 
The State of Maryland is poised to capitalize upon these investments by constructing a new rail intermodal facility capable of transferring containers between “modes”—highway and rail—and connecting to CSX’s double-stack rail network. A new intermodal facility will allow Baltimore, the State of Maryland, and the greater Baltimore-Washington region to participate in an emerging double-stack rail network and capture shipping-related jobs, business taxes, fees, and economic activity that might otherwise be diverted to competing ports and facilities in neighboring states.
 
 
 

II. Project Description

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and CSX are working together to relocate CSX’s existing facility—currently located at Seagirt Marine Terminal—to a new venue south of Baltimore’s  Howard Street Tunnel. CSX will continue to provide train service supporting Port of Baltimore international customers at Seagirt Marine Terminal. This project is a key component of the National Gateway and will allow a more efficient flow of goods traveling along CSX’s emerging double-stack rail network.

After CSX rebuilds its regional intermodal facility—to be located near but not at the Port of Baltimore—the land currently occupied by CSX at the Seagirt Marine Terminal will then be available to accommodate the increased flow of international shipping traffic passing through the Panama Canal.

The presence of such a facility in the Baltimore area will put Maryland in a critical position within CSX’s emerging double-stack rail network. This important project will dramatically leverage the economic benefits of planned investments at the Seagirt Terminal, along the National Gateway corridor, and at the Panama Canal, while strengthening the Port of Baltimore’s position as a key port of entry for international shipping.

A new rail intermodal facility will serve the State of Maryland by transferring goods between trucks and trains for either “long-haul” rail service to markets outside of the region or “short-haul” truck delivery to local warehouses, retailers and other businesses within the region. Trucks and highways accommodate the delivery of goods within the regional market, while trains and railroads more efficiently ship goods traveling longer distances. The intersection of both trains and trucks at a single facility allows this shipping network to operate more productively—and at lower costs, to both businesses and consumers.

The Baltimore-Washington Rail Intermodal Facility will be a state-of-the-art project. The facility will incorporate the use of green technology, electric cranes, alternative energy sources, directional lighting, and the latest in storm water management practices.

III. Project Schedule

The goal is to complete construction of the facility and begin operations by 2015.
  
For a more detailed schedule, please turn to the “Milestones” section of this web site or click here.
 
 
 
IV.  Project Location

MDOT and CSX are committed to working cooperatively with affected stakeholders to address issues that may arise as a result of this project.   For a more detailed description of the public engagement process, please turn to the “Public Involvement” section of this web site or click here.

The final site selection process will include extensive public outreach, in conformance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).  NEPA is a federal law requiring public agencies to take environmental factors (social, natural, economic, and cultural, etc.) into account when undertaking an action involving federal funding or participation. The NEPA review process promotes planning and coordination with stakeholders to identify and mitigate any community and environmental impacts, such as noise, traffic, safety, lighting, visual and air quality. For additional information on this law, please turn to the “NEPA” section of this web site or click here.

For details on the site selection process to date, click on the “Site Evaluation” tab or click here.

 
 
V. e-Updates 
 
Thank you for your interest in the Baltimore-Washington Rail Intermodal Facility. Please stay tuned to this web site for news, updates, and announcements about this project.
 
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