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Norfolk Southern view on proposed line unchanged

Amy LavalleyPost-Tribune

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An official with Norfolk Southern railroad calls projections for train traffic on the proposed Great Lakes Basin Transportation freight train line "in error" and reiterates it won't participate in the proposed project in a Friday filing with the federal Surface Transportation Board.

GLBT said in a Nov. 10 filing with the federal agency that its proposed three-state freight train route between Milton, Wis., and LaPorte County could see up to 85 trains a day in some spots once the line is fully up and running.

An official with Norfolk Southern is calling those projects inaccurate if they include the railroad's participating.

"Norfolk Southern reiterates its prior message to the STB that it has no plans to use the proposed route," wrote Aarthy Thamodoran, an attorney for the railroad. "Rather, Norfolk Southern anticipates that it will continue to use either the direct routes that Norfolk Southern currently operates or, for that matter, any of the numerous alternatives currently available to it.

Proposed Great Lakes rail line details train times, connections in filing

"Therefore, to the extent the projections that Great Lakes Basin Transportation made in its Nov. 10 response include Norfolk Southern traffic, those projections are in error."

Thamodoran also notes that Norfolk Southern did not provide any input into the rail traffic projections made by GLBT.

Norfolk Southern submitted a letter in late May to the STB stating it already has bypasses around Chicago and was not inclined to use the proposed route.

GLBT's projections were based on the freight train line capturing a percentage of the rail shipments that now move through Chicago, Mike Blaszak, an attorney for GLBT, said in an email.

"Ultimately, the companies that ship freight on the railroads determine how their traffic is routed. Our train frequency projections were based on the assumption that the new railroad would carry a certain percentage of the rail shipments that currently move through Chicago to other destinations, and that the volume of rail traffic would grow with the U.S. economy," he said.

"We are working to demonstrate to the railroads and shippers how our project will make the rail network more efficient and competitive, to everyone's benefit."

GLBT proposes an $8 billion, privately funded freight train line to serve as a bypass for six Class 1 railroads around Chicago's congested rail yards.

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In addition to Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific also has said it would not participate in the project. In a March 21 Chicago Tribune article, a Union Pacific official said the railroad determined in July 2014 that it was not interested in moving forward with a discussion on GLBT.

"We have repeatedly communicated this position to Great Lakes Basin's leadership team," Union Pacific spokeswoman Calli Hite said at the time. "Union Pacific is focused on several major public-private partnerships, including CREATE, which will benefit the region and enhance efficiency for Chicago-area and regional railroad operations."

In June, officials with the remaining four Class 1 railroads that would be served by the project told the Post-Tribune they were not involved in GLBT's proposal or had no comment, though one of those railroads acquired a rail line that already provides a bypass around Chicago and the other furloughed 4,600 employees in the spring because of a drop in cargo traffic.

Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

Above is from:  http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-porter-rail-plan-st-1206-20161205-story.html

Proposed Great Lakes rail line details train times, connections in filing

 

Amy LavalleyPost-Tribune

 

Great Lakes Basin Transportation details train times, the importance of a connection from Kingsbury to South Shore Freight, and other matters in its most recent filing with the Surface Transportation Board.

The filing, made Wednesday, was in response to a request by the federal agency for additional information on GLBT's plans for a privately funded rail line from southern Wisconsin into LaPorte County.

The filing, written by Jim Wilson, GLBT's president and chief executive officer, notes that the estimated end-to-end time between Pinola in LaPorte County and Milton, Wisconsin, would vary depending on traffic and train type, among other factors, but would range from about 5 1/2 hours to just under 8 hours.

"The key is that the travel times should be reliable. That's the most important part," said Frank Patton, GLBT's founder and managing partner.

GLBT proposes an $8 billion freight train line to provide a bypass for Class 1 railroads going through Chicago's congested rail yard and take trucks off the road.

"Given the current average time to traverse the Chicago rail network of 33 hours, the anticipated GLBT average transit time of 8 hours is one of the critical value elements justifying the investment in this project," Wilson wrote. "The proposed investment still makes sense if the end-to-end time is up to 12 hours."

The filing was in response to one of three requests for information made by the STB, which will make the final determination on whether the freight line will proceed on GLBT's preferred route, an alternate route or not at all. GLBT officials submitted an alternate route, also at the behest of the STB, in late September, which they prefer over their original proposal.

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Either of the proposed routes would cut through southern Lake and Porter counties, raising concerns by residents there and elsewhere about loss of farmland, drainage issues and delayed response times by first responders stopped at rail crossings.

The preferred route offers some changes in LaPorte County and three options for going around Lowell, though it is virtually unchanged in Porter County. It also offers significant changes through Wisconsin and Illinois.

The most recent filing includes information on what's called the "Kingsbury Branch connection" to South Shore Freight, which Wilson said would give South Shore customers access to the improved service offered by GLBT and provide GLBT with a connection to CSX's subdivision in Michigan City.

"A connection with South Shore Freight was in our initial plans to give its customers neutral market access to all the Class 1 carriers connecting with GLBT," Wilson wrote. "South Shore Freight shippers will benefit from the improved velocity, reliability, capacity, and new revenue opportunities that our project would provide."

Freight line plan predicts up to 85 daily trains

The Post-Tribune has reported that two of the six Class I railroads expected to be served by the freight line have publicly stated they will not participate, and the remaining four appear uncommitted to the project.

"I remain completely opposed to this project," said Porter County Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-South, whose Porter Township property would be bisected by the rail line. "There is no benefit to Porter County and I think if the potential customers, Class I railroads, needed it, they would be clamoring to help put this through."

The filing also details a series of "anchor points" along the route, including two in LaPorte County, in Pinola and Alida.

"There's huge economic development opportunities at these intersections with current or future rail operations, intermodal, whatever," Patton said, adding that with development at Kingsbury, "we could have a huge economic impact."

The newest route is again generating comments on the STB's website for the proposal. A growing number of people and organizations, including an attorney representing several groups opposed to GLBT's plans that includes groups in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties, are calling for the STB to hold public meetings on the most recent route, as the federal agency did in the spring, since new areas would be impacted.

"That is entirely within the STB's discretion and it's up to them," said Mike Blaszak, one of the attorneys for GLBT.

Officials with the STB have not yet said whether they will hold additional scoping meetings, part of the process in putting together an environmental impact statement.

In the meantime, GLBT officials are moving forward with their plans.

"We need to prepare our application for construction of the railroad. It's a separate procedure from the environmental impact statement and we're working on that," Blaszak said, adding there's no timeline for the application but it will be filed sometime next year, "sooner than later."

Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

Above is from:  http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-great-lakes-rail-filing-st-1202-20161202-story.html