Tampa tracks to help ethanol, containers
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, Tampa Port Authority and CSX said Friday a public-private partnership project will bring ethanol into the Tampa market more efficiently and safely via the nation’s first ethanol unit train-to-pipeline distribution system.
The port will build rail track and support infrastructure to handle 100-car unit train deliveries of ethanol and a multi-product unit train offloading yard at Hooker’s Point in the Port of Tampa.
The new rail facilities will allow CSX to transport unit trains of ethanol from Midwest producers to Central Florida, and be able to be offload within a 24-hour period into Kinder Morgan’s Tampa Terminal, where it will be distributed to numerous blend terminals and to new markets via pipeline.
Beyond the transport of fuels, the rail project will also allow the port to move containers and other general cargo directly from dock to rail.
Adjacent to the expanding Port of Tampa Container Terminal, the new facility will create an on-dock unit train capability for containers. The port said this would extend its container hinterland potential.
Tampa tracks to help ethanol, containers
