NY/NJ Port Authority approves new intermodal rail terminal

Terminal company GCT USA will complete the final design and build the new ExpressRail Port Jersey facility in Greenville Yard.    Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Thursday approved an agreement that will allow construction to proceed on a major ship-to-rail cargo facility adjacent to GCT Bayonne.
   The project will complete the agency’s $600 million initiative to provide all of its major marine terminals with direct access to rail.
   Under a lease supplement with Global Container Terminals USA, the terminal operator agreed to complete the final design and build the new ExpressRail Port Jersey facility in Greenville Yard.
   In return, the Port Authority will reimburse GCT up to $56 million to cover the costs of construction of the facility.
   The project, as with other ExpressRail projects in the harbor, is contingent on continued funding provided by the cargo facility charge, a per-container fee assessed on cargo shipped through the Port of New York and New Jersey to cover the costs of critical road, rail and security infrastructure projects.
   Once the rail terminal opens in 2018, GCT will be responsible for the ongoing operation and maintenance of the facility, which is expected to reduce truck traffic and result in significant environmental benefits for the region.
   Cargo coming on and off ships at GCT Bayonne today is transported to and from its final destination by truck or is trucked to another ExpressRail facility. The new facility will allow for the transloading of containerized cargo directly from ship to rail, offering ocean carriers and their customers a more efficient and environmentally friendly option for goods movement. The facility will have an initial capacity of at least 125,000 container lifts a year.
   Vancouver, British Columbia-based Global also plans to launch a truck appointment system later this year to help reduce congestion and improve efficiency at its facility. Creating a truck appointment system at all of the Port Authority’s marine terminals was a top recommendation by the Port Performance Task Force.