WASHINGTON – Federal regulators have approved the construction of a 28-mile rail line that will serve Volvo’s new assembly plant near Charleston, S.C.
The Surface Transportation Board, in a decision issued on Monday, gave the green light to Palmetto Railways’ proposal to build the so-called Camp Hall rail line.
It will run 28 miles from the Camp Hall Commerce Park in Ridgeville, site of the assembly plant Volvo opened in 2018, to the CSX Transportation Cross Subdivision adjacent to the Santee Cooper Cross Generating Station.
The state-owned Palmetto Railways is the terminal switching line for the South Carolina Ports Authority rail-served marine terminals at the Port of Charleston. It will build, own, and operate the new line.
It’s not yet clear when construction will begin.
“Following receipt of this approval, Palmetto Railways will continue other pre-construction activities associated with the project, including permitting related to state and local regulatory requirements, full design of the line, and right-of-way acquisition,” says Alex Camp, a spokeswoman for the South Carolina commerce department.
It’s expected to take 18 to 24 months to build the line, Camp says.
South Carolina pledged to fund the industrial line as part of the $200 million in incentives for Volvo to locate its first American assembly plant in the state.
The $1.1 billion Volvo plant produces the S60 midsize sedan, which is exported around the world through the Port of Charleston, and in 2022 will begin building the XC90 sport utility vehicle. It has the capacity to build 150,000 vehicles a year.
— Updated at 1:15 p.m. CDT with comment from South Carolina commerce department, additional details.
I assume the value here is to give the volvo plant access to CSX as well as NS and thus gain competitive rates? Or is it to provide a link to the Port of Charleston?
Still wondering why they are going to build TWENTY EIGHT miles of new line when only THREE miles away is Norfolk Southern?
Not familiar with the Carolinas but wonder why it would take 18 – 24 months to build 28 miles of track?
John Freadhoff, I believe this quote answers your question : “Following receipt of this approval, Palmetto Railways will continue other pre-construction activities associated with the project, including permitting related to state and local regulatory requirements, full design of the line, and right-of-way acquisition. “
SAY WHAT? Let me see if I got this right.
Palmetto Railways, owned by the state (i.e. the taxpayers = Me) of South Carolina,
is going to build a 28 mile brand new rail line to serve the new Volvo plant. This new line will connect to CSX Transportation at the Cross generating station.
OK.
The Cross generating station is located at the end of a 14.5 mile “branch” line which junctions with the CSX ‘A’ line at Saint Stephen, SC (station name “Cross Junction”). This is about 45 miles north of Charleston, SC.
Meanwhile:
At Ridgeville, SC can be found the “mainline” of Norfolk Southern Railway
between Charleston and Columbia. This line is less than 3 miles away from the new Volvo plant.
Humm??
So Palmetto Railways will build 28 miles across numerous creeks, swamps, wetlands, major highway (grade separated?) crossings to get to Volvo and then interchange with CSX at the power plant? Or perhaps obtain some trackage rights over CSX, maybe all the way to Charleston?
Instead of building 3 miles to connect directly to Norfolk Southern. Only obstacle here would be Interstate Highway 26 which would have to be crossed, But South Carolina DOT is already constructing a new exit / interchange just for the Volvo plant. They could probably add an overpass for the railroad here. Just wait until the environmentalists hear about this [“across numerous creeks, swamps, wetlands”]. The permitting will take decades! Someone needs to explain this to the taxpayers of SC. Is there something fishy here about this deal? I don’t know, but I sure don’t understand this at all.