ATLANTA — Norfollk Southern and Florida East Coast Railway will expand their domestic interline intermodal services in Florida, the railroads announced Wednesday.
As of Oct. 2, NS will add service to FEC’s Fort Pierce and Fort Lauderdale facilities, joining existing service to FEC terminals in Titusville and Miami. The additions will add flexibility for their shared customers, the railroads say, and increase direct access to and from markets in Chicago; Cincinnati; St. Louis; Harrisburg, Pa.; Kansas City, Mo.; Memphis, Tenn.; Lathrop, Calif., and Southern California. The service will feature a steel-wheel interchange between NS and FEC at Jacksonville.
“As part of our customer-centric and operations-driven approach, we are constantly looking for opportunities to drive value and help our customers efficiently reach new markets,” NS Chief Marketing Officer Ed Elkins said in a press release. “This shared focus with Florida East Coast Railway makes this expansion possible. Together, we’re providing simple, effective, and sustainable services for our customers and helping them grow as a result.” Luis Hernandez, FEC vice president-intermodal, said his railroad “is ready to reach additional markets on the East and West Coasts of the United States by furthering its strong relationship with Norfolk Southern. It is a good time to work together to enhance the advantages that FEC offers to access strategic cities in the U.S., with a reliable, safe, and friendly with the environment service.”
I was curious if the sale of the Cincinnati Southern RR could play a possible role in NS’s plans to expand intermodal service. But I see according the proposed Cincinnati-Jacksonville article map line, it passes through Tennessee appx 200 miles east of Chattanooga.
NS should have bought FEC when it was for sale several years ago.
IMHO: I think they want to keep control of the FEC out of a US Class 1. All the recent sales of FEC have been to non Class 1 outfits like Rail America, Ferromocil USA. Fortress still has a hand financially or contractually with the FEC. And honestly look how Class 1’s treat Amtrak today, I wouldn’t invest in Brightline if they had to share their rails with a Class 1. Different priorities.
It’s no coincidence Brightline West will roll their own rail.
This expansion of service is possible due double track south of Cocoa. A benefit of building Brightline extension.
Guess steel wheel at JAX allows preferred blocking by FEC. Interesting that the map detailing the interchange points from the two western locations does not mention interchange partners or points from those origins. Lathrop terminal is a UP location. Wonder how CSX feels about the enhancement to NS/FEC service to Florida from Lathrop. Or better yet, where does NS fell the volume from that terminal will populate to NS/FEC.
CSX already hands off their SoFlo intermodal to FECR.
When the Railco fruit express was running out of California, UP would hand off to CSX in East St Louis. CSX would take it down the Illinois Sub and then turn south at Vincennes to reach Jacksonville.
So I would assume UP/BNSF would turn over to NS at KCMO before going south.