Maryland, CSX recommit to intermodal infrastructure project

The public-private partnership is aimed at increasing the height of the Howard St. Tunnel so two containers can be loaded onto intermodal cars, making it more efficient for traffic moving to and from the Port of Baltimore.    The state of Maryland and CSX Transportation on Monday said they will reapply for the second round of federal FASTLANE grants to help complete the clearance increase for the Howard Street Tunnel in Baltimore and nine associated bridges on the railroad’s network to allow passage of double-stacked intermodal cars, which are more efficient.
  The announcement followed a meeting between Gov. Larry Hogan and CSX Chairman and CEO Michael Ward, who rode together on a CSX rail car through the tunnel to the Seagirt Marine Terminal at the Port of Baltimore, where they made public comments about their joint commitment to make the infrastructure changes, part of CSX’s National Gateway Initiative to open up double-stack service across its mid-Atlantic region.
   In July, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded grants totaling $759 million to 18 projects deemed critical freight and highway corridors. The program was authorized under the multi-year FAST Act surface transportation bill enacted in January, but critics complained that some of the highway projects seemed to focus more on automobile travel instead of freight needs. The DOT received 212 applications for the competitive grants.
   CSX and the Maryland Port Administration for years have been studying how to increase the capacity of the Howard St. Tunnel so more international traffic can be easily moved to and from the port and make it more competitive with rivals on the East Coast.
   For years, reconstruction of the Howard St. Tunnel to accommodate double-stack trains was believed to cost between $1 billion and $3 billion and be highly disruptive to the surrounding community. By utilizing recent advances in construction technology, including a technique that involves lowering the floor and notching the crown of the tunnel, CSX and the Maryland Department of Transportation have determined it is now possible to provide double-stack clearance in the tunnel and under the nine bridges for $425 million with minimal impact to the community.
   CSX and the state have committed a combined minimum of $270 million towards this effort and the state is seeking federal funds for the balance of the project cost, the Maryland Port Administration said in a statement.
  Officials said the project would help increase trade and jobs, while helping to reduce air pollution by making it more possible to transport containers by rail than truck.
  State officials said the project would create about 500 construction jobs over a five-year period and an estimated 3,000 jobs for the state economy as a result of about 80,000 additional containers that potentially would move through the Port of Baltimore because of the extra intermodal capacity.