b'26American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comHWYH2O.COM Inland Port Greer operates under the South Carolina Ports (SCP) umbrella.(RISINGcontinued from page 24) expeditedservicefromSavannah withtheadditionofthe$110mil- to the BRC with third day availabil- W I T HOOUURR N E WAANNDDlionNavyBaseIntermodalFacilityity. Slated to open in 2026, the $127I M P R O V E DGGAATTEEWWAAYY(NBIF). The NBIF is a near-dock railmillion facility will serve an existingI N C E N T I V E ,TTHHEERREE HHAASSfacility adjacent to SCPs Leather- customerbase,whichalsoincludesN E V E RBBEEEENN AA BB E T T E RE T T E Rman Terminaland will feature sixproducersofheavyequipmentandT I M ETTOO SSTTAARRTT SS PP PNNHHI I P I I GGrail-mountedgantrycranes,7,000- forest products. When completed theO NTTHHEE GGRREEAATT LL A K E S8,000 feet of linear rail track, and beBRC will have an annual capacity ofA K E SW I T HHHWWYY HH OOcapable of one million rail lifts each200,000 containers. 2year and will be served both by CSXBeforetheBRC,theGPAhad and NS services that will connect toalreadyestablishedtheinlandport their respective inland ports of DillondubbedtheAppalachianRegional and Greer. This will cut down some ofPort (ARP). The ARP located in north-the container handling on the Charles- westGeorgia,inFY2024,(ending ton side for both inland ports. June 30th) achieved a record mark of 36,730 rail lifts, a 9% increase over g eOrgiap Ortsi NlaND FY2023,whichwasitselfarecord i NtermODalD riVe year for the terminal.Like SCP using rail to reach inlandGeorgiaPortshaslandedsomeFor mis an integral part of the GPAs strat- major accounts that have located nearmoorreeiinnffoorrmmaattiioonn::emegy. ThePortofSavannahsMasonthe Appalachian Regional Port, includ- E ail [email protected],LGandsolar thelargeston-portintermodalfacil- technologyproducerHanwhaQcells, ityinNorth Americawith24-mileswhich is now on its third expansion.of on terminal track and an annual 2AndtheARPisntthefarthest million TEU throughput. But impres- reach as an inland port for the GPA. Ports of Indiana, Port of Cork sive as the Mason terminal is, it is theThe Carolina Connector (CC) ser-connections that make it workinvice, which links the Port of Savan- collaborate and explore direct this case, the Blue Ridge Connectornah to Rocky Mount, N.C., via CSX (BRC), the latest step in GPAs stra- rail is a unique facility. The connec- Ireland-to-Indiana container servicetegic rail strategy. The BRC, locatedtion means importers can get access near Gainesville, Georgia, is designedtocargobeforeitcouldevenbeIndianaGovernorEricJ.Hol- the County of Cork Joe Carroll, and tolinknortheastGeorgiatoSavan- offloaded at other East Coast ports.combjoinedofficialsfromIndiana,DeputyLordMayorofCorkCity nahviatheNorfolkSouthernrailsAnd the Carolina Connector, theU.S.A,andCork,Ireland,tosignHonoreKamegni,ChiefCommer-infrastructure.Whencomplete,theStLouisRegionalFreightwayandaMemorandumofUnderstandingcialOfficerConorMowldsofPort 104-acresitewillfeaturesixtracksthe Port of Nevada all involve cross- between Ports of Indiana and Port ofof Cork, Cork Chamber CEO Conor for a total of 18,000 feet. NS rail willstateinvestmentsininlandportstoCork.TheMOUformalizesacom- Healy, and Port Director Ryan McCoy providefive-dayaweekservicetomaximizethereachandefficienciesmitment by the ports to collaborate onfrom Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor.the Blue Ridge Connector, which willof their ports. A trend that will furthereconomic,environmental,andtech- KeyfocusareasoftheMOU operate from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondayboostinvestmentininlandportsinnology initiatives and to explore theinclude: 1) Economic and port devel-throughFriday.GPAwillprovideNorth America. feasibilityofanIreland-to-Indianaopmentstrategiestoincreasemari-expresscontainershippingservice.timeandcontainertradeinvolving Theceremonycomesonedayafterpharmaceuticals,dairyproducts, the Governor announced a new directmanufacturing, semiconductors, clean flightbetweenDublin,Ireland,andenergy,lifesciences,andagricul-Indianapolis, Indiana. ture;2)Decarbonizationinitiatives, TheagreementwassignedbysuchasdevelopingaGreenShip-Ports of Indiana CEO Jody PeacockpingRoutebetweenIrelandand and Port of Cork Interim CEO DonalIndiana to reduce supply chain emis-Crowley, and witnessed by Governorsions;3)Portsecurityandtechnol-Holcomb, Indiana Secretary of Com- ogyintegrationfordatacollection, merceDavidRosenberg,Mayorofcontainer scanning and cyber security. (WATERcontinued from page 20) building a reservoir in the late 1990s. project is forecast to secure the CanalsBut the recent prolonged El Nio/South-freshwater needs for the next half cen- ernOscillation(ENSO)eventempha-tury at a cost of around $1.2 billion plussized the need for another fresh-water anadditional$400millionininvest- source to enable the Canal to continue ments in neighboring communities. Theoperating a 36-daily transit scenario.man-made reservoir project is expectedNonetheless,inthemeantimeit to take six years to build. And while theis likely there will be another El Nio approachisinnovative,likethewaterevent, as they occur in two-to-seven-re-useinthelocks,thisisarecycledyear cycles, and how the ACP balances The Mason Mega Rail Terminal is touted to be the largest on-port intermodal facility in Northidea. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineerswater against schedule reliability may America with 24-miles of on terminal track and an annual 2 million TEU throughput. (USACE)andtheACPcontemplatedbe tested again.'