APM Terminals Elizabeth at the Port of New York/New Jersey is expanding intermodal cargo volumes to and from the Midwest and Canada.
The terminal is looking at using a direct-to-rail landing zone section during vessel discharge operations to allow it to expedite rail cargo to its near dock rail facility 12 hours after discharge.
Once cargo arrives at the Millennium Marine Rail-operated terminal, an APM Terminals joint venture, port labour teams APM Terminals crew members will work on the 18-track rail operation building doublestack trains for fast handoff to three Class 1 railroads that can then take the cargo to inlands markets two to four days away.
“Our rail service has been very stable and consistent – thanks to our longshore labour partners doing a fantastic job with productivity and availability. Rail carriers are benefiting from the strong import and export market as they see their intermodal cargo volumes continue to grow. Locomotive and railcar availability throughout the pandemic has been steady and reliable,” said Jon Poelma, Managing Director of APM Terminals Elizabeth.
APM Terminals Elizabeth has also been working closely with the Port of New York and New Jersey to ensure train performance and rail infrastructure in the port is supportive of the growth.
Sam Ruda, Director of the Port of New York and New Jersey, added “Being the first port of call for the majority of US East Coast-bound ocean carriers is a huge benefit and value for customers and partners of the Port of New York and New Jersey because we have availability to move a container off a vessel to major inland markets before the vessel even leaves our port.
“The coordination between our marine terminal operators, Class 1 railroad partners and Conrail has kept our ExpressRail system fluid and efficient during the record-breaking cargo surge facing ports nationwide, giving us the ability to flex cargo capacity whenever the need arises. Our close collaboration with port stakeholders such as APM Terminals and the waterfront workforce has been key to the success of the port during a historic moment at the port made only more challenging b the overlay of the global COVID-19 pandemic.”
On 8 February 2022, PTI will be holding its Intermodal Freight Forum Europe delving into the pressing challenges and trends in intermodal freight transport. The event is set to bring together senior decision-makers from the intermodal transport network, addressing a wide range of issues from data standardisation to the lack of capacity in ports and rail.
Registration for the event can be done here.
