I just saw that Maersk Shipping has decided to change the route of some of their container ships that normally go through the Panama Canal. They will offload containers onto railcars and move them across Panama and reload to a ship on the other side. If that Rail line gets too much traffic is there a U.S. railroad that could pick up some of that traffic. Maybe from Southern CA to the Gulf of Mexico?
Thanks
RL
rluke... If that Rail line gets too much traffic is there a U.S. railroad that could pick up some of that traffic. Maybe from Southern CA to the Gulf of Mexico?
UP and BNSF. Also Mexico appropriated a rail line across their isthmus.
Panama was warned repeatedly about their lack of reservoir capacity in a drought if they widened the canal. Look what happened. Very predictable.
Don't be confused by FACTS. It seems common sense would be applicable here. If the smaller canal were closed, and the new canal ONLY used, with a plan of less wasted water, the result would be opposite of presently.
I know, BUT we need more traffic. Don't forget the addage: You can't get something for nothing. There is ALWAYS a price to pay. endmrw0201241256
Is there any container trafic now that crosses the USA by rail and is on a ship both in the Atlantic and the Pacific?
daveklepper Is there any container trafic now that crosses the USA by rail and is on a ship both in the Atlantic and the Pacific?
Currently there's no landbridge service across the US, or North America (with the exception of the Panama Canal Railway) for that matter. As well the only lane being effected by the drought are all-water routes from SE Asia. Expect USWC to take up more slack for discretionary cargo moving east of the Mississippi.
Is there any scheduled maritime liner service between the East & West Coasts via the Canal?
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
BaltACD Is there any scheduled maritime liner service between the East & West Coasts via the Canal?
No, and that's due to the point of origin of goods from SE Asia, either east, or west of Singapore, operational cost, tolls to be paid for using the PC, faster and cheaper intermodal offerings, would make any service null and void.
Not exactly 100% correct. See the following linked site:
.@ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal_Railway
Seems to be a more or less(?) compl,et, and more current history of the E-0W Panama Canal RR.
Ftl:"...On June 19, 1998, the government of Panama turned over control of the railroad to the private Panama Canal Railway Company (PCRC), a joint venture between Kansas City Southern and gantry crane manufacturer Mi-Jack Products.[26] The new company decided to rebuild the railroad line to handle container traffic parallel to the canal. The railroad projected it could move containers across Panama eight times as fast as the canal.[26] Work on the new railroad started in January 2000, and was complete in July 2001 at a cost of $76 million. Passenger service began at that time, with freight service started a few months later.[26] Two container handling terminals were created: on the Atlantic side, near Manzanillo International Terminal (Colón), and the Pacific Intermodal Terminal near Balboa Harbour. Passenger stations are in Colón (called Atlantic Passenger Station) and Corozal railway station, 4 mi (6 km) from Panama City.[26]..."
Further FTL:"...As of 2018, one passenger service per direction was offered every Monday thru Friday. The Corozal (Panama City)–Colón train has a traveling time of one hour.[27]
While the main purpose of the train is as a commuter rail for those living in Panama City and working in Colon, it has also become a tourist excursion. As it was used during the construction of the canal, it runs parallel to the canal and offers views of the canal. The rail cars are classic in nature, with first-class amenities, bar service, with second-level viewing areas and outdoor viewing.[28]
For freight services – that is, transporting containers across the isthmus – the initial capacity allows for 10 trains to run in each direction per 24 hours. With the current rail configuration, this could be extended to a maximum of 32 trains per 24 hours. A train is composed of double-stack bulkhead-type rail cars, typically containing 75 containers, a mix of 60 × 40' and 15 × 20' containers. The basic capacity is around 500,000 container moves a year (approximately 900,000 TEU), with a maximum capacity of 2 million TEU per year.[29]
Freight trains are loaded and unloaded in the railway terminals by portal cranes, serving 3,000 ft (910 m) long tracks that can be expanded into six tracks. Containers are transported to and from nearby dock container stacks by truck on a dedicated road.
As of 2013, the railroad was handling about 1,500 containers per day. The Panama Canal carries some 33,500 containers each day..."
So many times, money is a determinate of choices. Given same amount of containers moved via water or rail, how do the costs compare? endmrw0205241404
Remember when Santa Fe operated a land bridge between S. Cal. And Houston?
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