Corpus Christi port opens first part of Nueces River rail yard

The facility is part of a two-part construction project to provide a large rail interchange at the west end of the Texas port’s inner harbor area.    Port Corpus Christi in Texas today officially opened the first part of its Nueces River Rail Yard for service.
   The facility is part of a two-part construction project to provide a large rail interchange at the west end of the port’s inner harbor area.
   The Nueces River Rail Yard project includes a 9,920-foot-long unit-train siding capable of storing a complete 160-car train. It will initially consist of four parallel tracks for a total yard capacity of 15,300 feet and 253 railcars. 
   “The expansion of the port’s capabilities is an important logistical project, and a critical component of the port’s strategic diversification efforts,” said Judy Hawley, Port Corpus Christi commission chairman, in a statement.
   The first phase of the Nueces River Rail Yard project cost $17.8 million, with $10 million supplied through a U.S. Transportation Department TIGER grant. Remaining funds were covered by the railroads Union Pacific, Kansas City Southern, BNSF, Genesse and Wyoming, and Port Corpus Christi.
   Start of the second phase coincides with the opening of Phase I, the port authority said, and is funded by a $22-million grant from the Texas Department of Transportation and $6 million from the port. It is scheduled for completion by the first quarter of 2017 and will increase the rail yard to eight 8,000-foot-long unit-train sidings and 1,247-railcar storage capacity.