Source: Port Technology
Port Everglades in south Florida, USA, has launched a rail-hub which makes it possible to transfer cargo directly between ship and rail.
The move will slash expenditure on land transport, with train transportation being typically faster and cheaper than truck.
The US$73 million rail-hub allows shippers to streamline travel times and provides ample opportunity to send more goods by rail to cities north of Florida.
Officials hailed the Intermodal Container Transport Facility (ITCF) on July 14, with government and business leaders lauding the venture, which has been seventeen years in construction.
Broward County mayor Barbara Sharief said of the rail-hub: “This rail facility is a link to our future.”
Port operators anticipate the rail-hub will attract mega-ships that will travel the expanded Panama Canal, thereby allowing incoming cargo to be rushed by rail to cities across the US South andMidwest.
Florida Department of Transportation assistant secretary Richard Biterstated: “The new ICTF is a huge win for the port. The project will enhance the port’s competitiveness and will provide savings on a per-container basis by shifting cargo from truck to rail.”
The new 17.4ha facility allows the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) to build trains with up to 9,000ft units and send them to Atlanta and Charlotte in two days, or Nashville and Memphis within three days, according to Miami-based media and events company World City.