Feature, Freight News, Rail, Sea

Port of Baltimore Launches Double-stack

[ November 1, 2024   //   Gary G Burrows ]

The Port of Baltimore launched double-stack rail operations to and from the port on Oct. 28, opening competitive intermodal opportunities in the Northeast and to Midwestern markets.
Part of the Howard Street Tunnel Project, double-stacking capacity will bring cost efficiencies, environmental benefits and help the port grow its business by about 160,000 containers annually, as well as create thousands of construction and operations jobs.
Double-stacking will also complement the expansion of the Seagirt Marine Terminal, operated by Ports America Chesapeake, as home to supersized Neo-Panamax cranes that handle ultra-large container ships.
“This is a significant milestone for intermodal rail service between Baltimore and Midwest markets and wouldn’t be possible without the ongoing collaboration between our federal, state, and local project partners,” said Joe Hinrichs, CSX president and CEO. “This underscores our broader commitment to enhancing service efficiency and safely expanding our network capabilities through the Howard Street Tunnel project, allowing for greater efficiency in this critical corridor.”
While construction is still ongoing at several Maryland sites, vertical clearance improvements at rail bridges north of Baltimore are complete, enabling CSX to operate double-stack rail service on a temporary route from the port along the CSX network in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and onto the Midwest until the work is complete in 2026.
The Howard Street Tunnel Project includes reconstructing the 129-year-old tunnel in Baltimore and 21 other locations in Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania to increase vertical clearance by 18 inches to allow double-stacked container trains to and from the Port of Baltimore. When fully complete, the double-stack project will provide the East Coast with seamless double-stack capacity from Maine to Florida.
“The completion of the Howard Street Tunnel Project will fundamentally change rail service throughout the Eastern seaboard, greatly improving the efficiency and capacity at the Port of Baltimore and with it, opening numerous new markets for the port’s growth,” said Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld.
“Adding double stack capabilities to and from the Port of Baltimore allows us to take our container business to another level and puts us on a more level playing field with our competitors,” said Maryland Port Administration Executive Director Jonathan Daniels.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott looked back as he looked ahead. “This expansion of our operations will help solidify the Port of Baltimore’s inspiring comeback after the Key Bridge tragedy and help ensure that our port remains a national leader for decades to come.”
Double-stack rail at the Port of Baltimore “will further compliment efforts by Ports America Chesapeake to increase capacity at the Port of Baltimore,” said Ports America Chesapeake President Mark Schmidt. “Ports America Chesapeake is making strategic investments including new equipment and infrastructure at the Seagirt Marine Terminal that, coupled with double stacking, will boost volumes and position the Port for future success.”
The Port of Baltimore ranked first in 2023 among the nation’s ports for volume of autos and light trucks, roll on/roll off heavy farm and construction machinery, imported sugar, and imported gypsum. It ranked ninth among major U.S. ports for foreign cargo handled and ninth for total foreign cargo value.

Tags: CSX, Port of Baltimore