HOWLAND HOOK RAIL FACILITY APPROVED

HOWLAND HOOK RAIL FACILITY APPROVED    The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has decided to build a ship-to-rail facility at the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island, N.Y.
   The $72.5 million rail facility, to be completed by 2005, will be located on a 38-acre parcel of land comprising a former Procter & Gamble site that the Port Authority acquired in 2000. It will allow cargo to be sent by rail to and from destinations around the country. Currently, all of Howland Hook’s cargo is transported on and off the terminal by truck.
   “To ensure the continued success of Howland Hook, we must provide the full range of services shipping companies expect from a modern marine terminal, which includes on-dock rail,” said New York Governor George E. Pataki.
   When completed, the Howland Hook rail facility will handle 250,000 containers a year.
   The Port Authority has also authorized $32 million to rehabilitate portions of the Staten Island Railroad, as well as $57 million to build a new rail freight connection between the Staten Island Railroad and a national freight line in New Jersey, operated by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern.