b'18American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comMARYLANDPort of Baltimore receives Federal funding to improve rail operationsPORTS2022 The Helen Delich Bentley Port ofhaving good rail operations is extremely Baltimore will receive $15.6 millionimportant, said Maryland Transporta-fromtheFederalRailroad Adminis- tion Secretary James F. Ports, Jr. This tration (FRA) Consolidated Rail andgrant will help us to continue position-InfrastructureSafetyImprovementsing the Port to remain as one of Mary-(CRISI) program for its Rail Capac- lands leading economic engines.ity Modernization Project. The Proj- This is terrific news for the Port of ectwillreconstructandupdatetheBaltimore, said Maryland Port Admin-Seagirt Marine Terminals intermodalistration-PortofBaltimoreExecutive railyardinfrastructureandsupportDirectorWilliamP.Doyle.Improv-increased demand for double stackeding intermodal rail operations is one of trains of containerized cargo to mar- our top priorities and the infrastructure kets across the country. improvementsmadepossiblethrough Thisfundingwillsupportthethis grant will seamlessly complement continued growth of Marylands PortourHowardStreetTunnelexpansion ofBaltimore,saidGovernorLarryproject which is now underway. Our rail Hogan. This project adds to the moreservicefromthePortofBaltimoreto Taking part in the groundbreaking for the long-awaited Howard Street Tunnel expansion projectthan $200 million that I authorized forthe Midwest is already increasing as we are, from left: Scott Cowan, president International Longshoremens Association Local 333; U.S.the Howard Street Tunnel expansionpick up shippers diverting around con-Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland; James M. Foote, president and chief executive officer, CSX Corp.;project which will allow for double- gested gateways.Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan; Amit Bose, administrator, Federal Railroad Administration; Gregorystack capabilities to and from the Port,Inadditiontoprovidingmore I. Slater, now former secretary, Maryland Department of Transportation; Mark Montgomery,increasedPortbusiness,andthou- seamless and efficient rail operations, president and chief executive officer, Ports America Group Inc.; and William P. Doyle, executivesands of jobs. the CRISI Project will also add envi-director, Maryland Port Administration. The FRA CRISI Project will buildronmental benefits. Air quality around Port of Baltimore enhancing rolefournewrailtrackstotaling17,670the Port will be improved by increas-trackfeetandtwocranerailbeamsing rail usage and from the conversion totaling7,000linearfeetwithintheof the existing diesel-fueled rail yard as East Coast e-commerce gateway SeagirtTerminal.Seagirtsintermo- operationtoelectrifiedequipment. dal container yard allows for the easyAdditionalrailusagewillalsohelp By Paul Scott Abbott, AJOT transferofshippingcontainersbyalleviateongoinglogisticalbottle-truck or rail. The FRA grant includes anecks on major interstate highways.Withexpandedglobalserviceincreases in rail moves. (See separate$6.7 million match from Ports Amer- This grant will take us one step offerings and completion of a secondstory on the next column of this page)ica Chesapeake (PAC), the Marylandcloser to increasing capacity to meet 50-foot-draftberth,pluscommence- Complementing the tunnel under- PortAdministrationspublic-privatecurrent and future demands ahead of ment of the much-anticipated Howardtaking is the $166 million expansionpartner at the Seagirt Terminal. theHowardStreetTunnelProject, StreetTunnelproject,theHelenofbig-ship-handlingcapabilitiesatMarylandsPortofBaltimoreissaidBayardHogans,VicePresident DelichBentleyPortofBaltimoreisthe Seagirt terminal by operator Portsone of the busiest ports in the nation andof Ports America Chesapeake. enhancingitspositionasafavoredAmerica Chesapeake. Completion inai161711257751_BaltiMORE.pdf 1 3/30/2021 9:56:18 AMEast Coast hub for e-commerce andlate2021ofasecond50-foot-draft other trade. berthallowssimultaneousaccom-This years collaborative start onmodationofmultiplemegacontain-the$466milliontunnelendeavoriserships at the Seagirt facility, whereBaltiMORE likelythebiggestadvanceas,uponfour additional neo-Panamax ship-to-projected 2025 completion, rail carsshore cranes entered service this year. double-stacked with containers shouldThePortsAmericaunit,which be able to move freely to and from theembarked in 2009 upon a $1.3 billion, Port of Baltimore, reaching markets in50-yearconcessionagreementwith the Midwest, as well as up and downthe MPA, also is investing in hybrid-the entire U.S. East Coast. electriccontainer-handlingequip-Theproject,withfundingfromment,astate-of-industrytruckgate federal and state sources in additioncomplex, a relocated container repair toClassIrailoperatorCSXCorp.,depotandsoftwareandtechnology focuses on adding vertical clearanceupgrades at the Seagirt facility.alongthevenerabletunnel,builtAtSeagirt,thelatestservice beneathdowntownBaltimoreintheaddition got under way in May, with 1890s by CSX predecessor BaltimoreIsrael-headquarteredZIMIntegrated & Ohio Railroad. ShippingServicesLtd.inaugurating AccordingtoMPAofficials,theits aptly monikered ZIM E-Commerce completed tunnel project is expected toBaltimore Express (ZXB) from China Cadd about 160,000 containers a year toandSoutheastAsia.Theserviceis Mthe Port of Baltimores cargo flow. poised to soon increase frequency to YMost recently, the Maryland Portweekly from its initial biweekly basis.AdministrationannouncedreceiptofZIMsnewe-commerce-centric CM$15.6millioninfederalfundingforserviceisoutstandingnewsforthe MYintermodalrailimprovementsatthePort of Baltimore and our International CYPortofBaltimoresSeagirtMarineLongshoremensAssociationlaborWELCOMECMYTerminala project further supporting(GATEWAYcontinued on page 20)Kto the Port of BaltimoreOn-dock railRobust real estate growth50-f nd 50-ft deethsp berth under constructionSecooot deep berDouble stack rail coming soonLess than two miles to Interstate 95Access to 2/3 of the U.S. population within 24 hoursmarylandports.com | 1.800.638.7519 |Celebrating the May inaugural call at the Port of Baltimore by ZIM Integrated Shipping ServicesGovernor Larry Hogan MDOT Secretary Gregory Slater MDOT MPA Executive Director William P. DoyleLtd.s ZIM E-Commerce Baltimore Express service from China and Southeast Asia are, from left:Governor Larry HoganMDOT Secretary James F. Ports, Jr.MDOT MPA Executive Director William P. DoyleWilliam P. Doyle, executive director, Maryland Port Administration; Yair Seroussi, chairman, ZIM; Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan; and Eli Glickman, president and chief executive officer, ZIM.'