Came across a story from the Cedar Rapids Gazette this evening that the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has been awarded a 25.7 million dollar grant to construct an all-purpose intermodal facility on the southwest side of town. This is something that has been a LONG, long time in coming and certainly one of the more positive developments on the railroad front in eastern Iowa in sometime.
http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/iowa-lands-25-million-grant-for-one-of-a-kind-freight-hub-in-cedar-rapids-20160707
Beat ya to it, LARG...
http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/257417.aspx
Brian (IA) http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net.
Isn't this something that greyhounds has been advocating for years ? Mainly in the context of processed meat and chicken shipments ?
The Gazette's article has more details than the KCRG summary, including identifying the serving railroad - CRANDIC. But both are lacking some details, such as the projected traffic volumes.
What continues to amaze me is the ability of legislative drafters to come up with titles of bills that - when reduced to their leading initials - are a short version of the purpose of the bill. This one is a contender for the championship:
" . . . Fostering Advancements in Shipping and Transportation for the Long-term Achievement of National Efficiencies — or FASTLANE".
Note that of the $46.5 million estimated cost, the US DOT is providing $26.7 million; the remaining $21 million will be provided by private partners ( none of whom, I trust, will be named Peter Piper, or will have picked a peck of pickled peppers).
- Paul North.
Somehow $46.5 million just doesn't seem to be much to construct much of a facility. Somebody must be donating the land and it has got to be adjacent to an already existing mainline... maybe it is to be a repurposing of an already existing yard?
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
Sounds like it's going in next to the CRANDIC's 900 yard south of Beverly, Charlie. That farmland isn't THAT expensive, is it?
And reading the Ceda rabits Kazoo article, I didn't know one could store
"bulk fright"
When I hear intermodal facility, I think of loading/unloading TOFC/COFC. This sounds like more of a break-bulk/team track type of facility. Something that would help companies that don't have a rail siding.
Speaking of Beverly, the Beverly yardmaster positions are, or soon will be, abolished. Clinton yardmasters will now supervise Beverly/Cedar Rapids by phone/radio. The general consensus seems to be that this will fly like a lead balloon.
Jeff
So, how many boxes of oatmeal can you get into a 40-foot container?
jeffhergert Speaking of Beverly, the Beverly yardmaster positions are, or soon will be, abolished. Clinton yardmasters will now supervise Beverly/Cedar Rapids by phone/radio. The general consensus seems to be that this will fly like a lead balloon. Jeff
Seems that all the carriers are floating such lead baloons - in my area of responsibility 5 Yardmaster positions are being consolidated into other locations.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
blhanel Sounds like it's going in next to the CRANDIC's 900 yard south of Beverly, Charlie. That farmland isn't THAT expensive, is it?
From the map shown. it looks like it's just west of ADM-Corn Sweeteners. South of where US 30 crosses over both Prairie Creek and the UP main line.
I get the impression that Alliant/Crandic may already own land in that area. Probably obtained originally for future rail needs for ADM.
A question for our Cedar Rapidians, or those near by. I heard that the Crandic may be getting the CN (ex-IC) line up to Manchester. Anyone heard that back there?
Will a Cedar Rapids bulk transfer facility be competitive with Mississippi River terminals not that far east?
Outbound eastbound rail, how would most route? Does the Iowa Interstate stand to gain most going to and through Chicago?
jeffhergert blhanel Sounds like it's going in next to the CRANDIC's 900 yard south of Beverly, Charlie. That farmland isn't THAT expensive, is it? From the map shown. it looks like it's just west of ADM-Corn Sweeteners. South of where US 30 crosses over both Prairie Creek and the UP main line. I get the impression that Alliant/Crandic may already own land in that area. Probably obtained originally for future rail needs for ADM. A question for our Cedar Rapidians, or those near by. I heard that the Crandic may be getting the CN (ex-IC) line up to Manchester. Anyone heard that back there? Jeff
I'm not aware that CN has any plans to divest itself of the secondary mainline to Cedar Rapids. They've put a lot of money into that over the last few years.
Victrola1 Will a Cedar Rapids bulk transfer facility be competitive with Mississippi River terminals not that far east? Outbound eastbound rail, how would most route? Does the Iowa Interstate stand to gain most going to and through Chicago?
The Crandic had, and I think it's still in effect, a haulage agreement with the IAIS. On paper, or it's digital equivalent, the Crandic interchanges with all major Class 1 railroads at either end of the IAIS.
Los Angeles Rams Guy jeffhergert A question for our Cedar Rapidians, or those near by. I heard that the Crandic may be getting the CN (ex-IC) line up to Manchester. Anyone heard that back there? Jeff I'm not aware that CN has any plans to divest itself of the secondary mainline to Cedar Rapids. They've put a lot of money into that over the last few years.
jeffhergert A question for our Cedar Rapidians, or those near by. I heard that the Crandic may be getting the CN (ex-IC) line up to Manchester. Anyone heard that back there? Jeff
I heard it from a co-worker who used to work for the Crandic. He keeps in touch with a couple guys still working there. One of those CIC guys thinks the Iowa Northern may pick it up instead. That's all I've heard, no reason why CN might want to pull out of CR. All local railfan sources haven't said anything.
jeffhergert I heard it from a co-worker who used to work for the Crandic. He keeps in touch with a couple guys still working there. One of those CIC guys thinks the Iowa Northern may pick it up instead. That's all I've heard, no reason why CN might want to pull out of CR. All local railfan sources haven't said anything. Jeff
News to me...
Paul_D_North_JrIsn't this something that greyhounds has been advocating for years ? Mainly in the context of processed meat and chicken shipments ?
I don't like it one bit. This seems like nothing but corporate welfare for Alliant Energy.
On a project such as this if it can't be financed without goverment giving away the peoples' money it shouldn't be done because it won't produce a positive economic gain.
Is the "bulk fright storage and transfer operation" what makes it one of a kind?
"No soup for you!" - Yev Kassem (from Seinfeld)
Los Angeles Rams GuyCame across a story from the Cedar Rapids Gazette this evening that the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has been awarded a 25.7 million dollar grant to construct an all-purpose intermodal facility on the southwest side of town. This is something that has been a LONG, long time in coming and certainly one of the more positive developments on the railroad front in eastern Iowa in sometime. http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/iowa-lands-25-million-grant-for-one-of-a-kind-freight-hub-in-cedar-rapids-20160707
greyhounds: Let's set aside the government money debate for the moment. (I don't see how a terminal for intermodal, cross-dock, and bulk transfer would benefit Alliant Energy's electric and gas utility operations, though it likely would benefit its CRANDIC subsidiary* and enhance the value of the nearby real estate mentioned above).
* http://www.alliantenergy.com/AboutAlliantEnergy/CompanyInformation/AlliantEnergyCompanies/029851
What I'm really interested in is whether the intermodal portion of this terminal would be a first step or helpful to the processed meat operations you've discussed here several times - recent examples:
"Shout "Halleluiah" and haul the meat!" at http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/p/231396/2589295.aspx#2589295
"CN lines in Iowa" at http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/253742.aspx?page=1 January 17, 2016;
"Intermodal Growth" at http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/254941.aspx?page=6#2858243 about halfway down, post of March 23, 2016;
Your thoughts ?
greyhoundsI don't like it one bit. This seems like nothing but corporate welfare for Alliant Energy.
Sounds like it has benefits far beyond Alliant. Trailers and COFC and intermodal are not in the domain of an electric utility.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
schlimm greyhounds ... Trailers and COFC and intermodal are not in the domain of an electric utility.
greyhounds
... Trailers and COFC and intermodal are not in the domain of an electric utility.
They are 'in the domain of an electric utility' if they are being handled by the subsidiary of an electric utility. From the quoted article:
Jeff Woods, manager of marketing and business development with CRANDIC, said Alliant Energy — of which CRANDIC is a subsidiary — is to be a big partner in the project.
greyhounds Paul_D_North_Jr Isn't this something that greyhounds has been advocating for years ? Mainly in the context of processed meat and chicken shipments ? I don't like it one bit. This seems like nothing but corporate welfare for Alliant Energy. On a project such as this if it can't be financed without goverment giving away the peoples' money it shouldn't be done because it won't produce a positive economic gain.
Paul_D_North_Jr Isn't this something that greyhounds has been advocating for years ? Mainly in the context of processed meat and chicken shipments ?
Yes, and if government spending of other peoples’ money could produce a positive economic gain, why not do it all the time? It would be a magic solution to fulfill all of our wants and needs. It would be a money-producing perpetual motion machine.
We build airports for air cargo lines and forwarders at enormous costs. Tax credits are given businesses to relocate, etc. by states and counties all the time. Why not a relatively cheap intermodal facility that benefits many businesses in Eastern Iowa?
I think it would be more cost effective and less risky to simply let the beneficiaries raise the private capital and build it. That saves the overhead cost of the government being involved. Anyone who receives any ancillary benefit from the facility will receive it no matter whether the financing is private capital or a public grant. Placing private capital at risk also provides better assurance that the investment is actually cost effective. The government bears no risk in spending public money.
Why the bias against public/private partnerships for rail? We do it for air, buses and trucking? How do you think many/most of our major trunk lines were built, especially west of the Mississippi?
Paul_D_North_Jr What I'm really interested in is whether the intermodal portion of this terminal would be a first step or helpful to the processed meat operations you've discussed here several times - recent examples: "Shout "Halleluiah" and haul the meat!" at http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/p/231396/2589295.aspx#2589295 "CN lines in Iowa" at http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/253742.aspx?page=1 January 17, 2016; "Intermodal Growth" at http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/254941.aspx?page=6#2858243 about halfway down, post of March 23, 2016; Your thoughts ? - Paul North.
I'll say it again, when they talk about intermodal I don't think they are talking about TOFC/COFC. They are talking about unloading a rail car into a truck for delivery or unloading a truck into a railcar for transit.
Also, it might not be a one-of-it's kind thing in Iowa. Des Moines has been looking into doing the same thing.
jeffhergert Paul_D_North_Jr What I'm really interested in is whether the intermodal portion of this terminal would be a first step or helpful to the processed meat operations you've discussed here several times - recent examples: "Shout "Halleluiah" and haul the meat!" at http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/p/231396/2589295.aspx#2589295 "CN lines in Iowa" at http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/253742.aspx?page=1 January 17, 2016; "Intermodal Growth" at http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/254941.aspx?page=6#2858243 about halfway down, post of March 23, 2016; Your thoughts ? - Paul North. I'll say it again, when they talk about intermodal I don't think they are talking about TOFC/COFC. They are talking about unloading a rail car into a truck for delivery or unloading a truck into a railcar for transit. Also, it might not be a one-of-it's kind thing in Iowa. Des Moines has been looking into doing the same thing. Jeff
Believe my carriers Transflo performs a similar 'intermodal' function.
http://www.transflo.net/
jeffhergertI'll say it again, when they talk about intermodal I don't think they are talking about TOFC/COFC. They are talking about unloading a rail car into a truck for delivery or unloading a truck into a railcar for transit. Also, it might not be a one-of-it's kind thing in Iowa. Des Moines has been looking into doing the same thing. Jeff
But 47 megabucks is an awful lot of $ for some paved parking lots, conveyor belts, docks, etc., unless there's a warehouse also involved (not mentioned, though). So I wondered, is some of that for an expensive machine lift of some kind ? Then I did some searching, and found this (emphasis added):
"Cedar Rapids Logistics Park
Iowa Department of Transportation
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Rural (Small Project)
Proposed Grant Amount: $25,650,000
Project Justification
The Iowa Department of Transportation (I-DOT) will be awarded $25,650,000 of a $46,500,000 project to build a full service intermodal facility in Cedar Rapids. Cedar Rapids is located between Chicago, Kansas City, and Minneapolis, yet lacks the intermodal capabilities of many other cities of similar size. The project will construct integrated facilities for a container intermodal terminal; a rail-to-truck transload facility for bulk commodities; and a cross-dock facility for consolidating and redistributing truck loads, as well as loading and unloading containers. We estimate approximately $25,650,000 of this project will count toward the five-year $500 million limit for freight rail, port, and intermodal projects, as established in 23 U.S.C. 117(d)(2).
Project Evaluation
The intermodal facility is designed to optimize the freight transportation network to: minimize cost and travel time and improve supply chain efficiency; establish new truck cross-docking operations to enable greater opportunities to consolidate truck freight for Iowa shippers; and establish new rail container intermodal and bulk transload facilities to enable access to lower-cost rail services for Iowa businesses.
The project will improve the efficiency and reliability of the regional and national movement of intermodal freight. The proposed project will provide Iowa and surrounding states with access to a high capacity, efficient, and cost-competitive facility to move goods from truck to rail and vice versa, generating economic and mobility outcomes. The project is also projected to generate significant safety benefits through avoided crashes and environmental benefits because efficient freight rail movement will reduce emissions."
From: http://transportation.house.gov/uploadedfiles/shuster_7-1_with_enclosure.pdf
It would be better to find the actual grant application to be more certain, but I don't have time for that right now.
schlimm We build airports for air cargo lines and forwarders at enormous costs. Tax credits are given businesses to relocate, etc. by states and counties all the time. Why not a relatively cheap intermodal facility that benefits many businesses in Eastern Iowa?
Paul_D_North_Jr"Cedar Rapids Logistics Park Iowa Department of Transportation Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Rural (Small Project) Proposed Grant Amount: $25,650,000 Project Justification The Iowa Department of Transportation (I-DOT) will be awarded $25,650,000 of a $46,500,000 project to build a full service intermodal facility in Cedar Rapids. Cedar Rapids is located between Chicago, Kansas City, and Minneapolis, yet lacks the intermodal capabilities of many other cities of similar size. The project will construct integrated facilities for a container intermodal terminal; a rail-to-truck transload facility for bulk commodities; and a cross-dock facility for consolidating and redistributing truck loads, as well as loading and unloading containers. We estimate approximately $25,650,000 of this project will count toward the five-year $500 million limit for freight rail, port, and intermodal projects, as established in 23 U.S.C. 117(d)(2).
As I said before, trailers and COFC. Thanks for the confirmation.
dakotafredIf we had it to do today: Assist with construction of (some of) the transcontinental, and other, railroads? Build the interstate highway system? Land the first men on the moon? Not a snowball's chance. As for overhauling the nation's crumbling infrastructure, including water and sewer mains? Forget about it.
Sad. So out of the desire of many to not pay one penny for public infrastructure projects, we will watch the crumbling decline of the US?
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