GREEN BAY, Wis. — Schneider will launch intermodal service next month linking the Southeast with Texas and Mexico via CSX and Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s new Meridian & Bigbee corridor.
The first interline trains over the new route are scheduled to roll on Dec. 1, CSX officials have said.
“This represents a major leap forward in our industry combining the best-in-class service of two renowned railroads, and it will transform the intermodal landscape,” Jim Filter, Schneider’s group president of Transportation and Logistics, said in a statement today. “Our customers can now enjoy unparalleled efficiency and reliability in their supply chains.”
The Surface Transportation Board last month approved CSX and CPKC’s proposal to acquire and operate their respective portions of the former Genesee & Wyoming short line. The route creates a new interchange at Myrtlewood, Ala., and is a shortcut over other CSX-CPKC gateways such as New Orleans, Memphis, and St. Louis.
The route provides competition for interline intermodal service offered by Norfolk Southern and CPKC customer J.B. Hunt, which also uses the Meridian Speedway between Meridian, Miss., and Shreveport, La.
“It’s one of the largest rail opportunities that we have out there in the network,” Filter said on Schneider’s earnings call last week. “It is competitive with truck but as we’ve been having discussions with customers, they’re excited to have an option that they can start to look at from an intermodal perspective.”
Schneider says the service will connect growing markets in Mexico and Texas with Florida and Georgia. Unlike truck transportation on this Southeast-Mexico cross-border route, intermodal service with CPKC provides a seamless, efficient border crossing, eliminating potential delays and exposure to freight loss, Schneider says.
“By leveraging the strengths of our combined networks, we are able to provide customers with unparalleled efficiency, reliability and security in their supply chains,” CSX Chief Commercial Officer Kevin Boone said in a statement. “This service strengthens our commitment to delivering sustainable, innovative transportation solutions that support the evolving needs of our customers.”
CPKC Chief Marketing Officer John Brooks said that “by providing more efficient options and routes for Schneider’s current and future customers, we are bringing new capacity to supply chains and taking trucks off the road. Our team is excited to create this truck-competitive service with Schneider and to expand on our shared success.”
CPKC officials say the railroad’s second single-track span over the Rio Grande at Laredo remains on schedule for completion by the end of the year.
I’ll be looking for these trains to pass by my house near the Meridian Speedway. And hoping it takes a few trucks off I-20.
Delays at New Orleans are caused by connection Railroads wanting to interchange traffic along the double tracked former New Orleans Terminal line that cuts thru Metairie and Central New Orleans (Next to I-610). Lightly trafficked alternative, via the New Orleans Public Belt line along the Mississippi River sees only switching moves from it’s various yards and 2-3 BNSF freights a day. This line has capacity for MANY more trains with little delay. But the carriers don’t seem to want to use this route.
Bottle neck is more in Mobile. EHH made changes to the Track layout there. Great for the Port of Mobile but stops up the CSX system to and from New Orleans. Passed through Mobile 2 weeks ago on a day trip to visit family a little east of Mobile. Train was sitting on main when I passed about 9:30 AM, same train still their when I returned on way back home, about 3:30 PM (remember the graffiti on some of the cars).
It appears that the reason for this new route is being ignored. The route is going to allow CP & CSX to avoid New Orleans. That interchange of traffic has delays probably in the average of 24 – 48 hours on an average. Thi8s new interchange will speed up traffic from Mexico and the Texas areas. As well anything from the Kansas area to the SE can connect at Montgomery to the Bow line as posted here.
That way the traffic to / from Midwest to GA and Fl also does not have to go thru New Orleans.
That is an expensive way (in route miles) to avoid New Orleans. I get the clearing delays and speeding up traffic (all for it). That is like sending traffic west to the Twin Cities via St Louis because of delays in Chicago.
Armchair quarterbacking here. This wasn’t really designed for the southeast US. It was designed to capture more traffic to the northeast and bundle/preclassify SE bound traffic in the same consists and break them off at congested Atlanta and stick them on the end of the CHI-JAX dailies.
I wonder if there are any clauses that preclude CSX from taking Schneider containers up to Chicago? I wonder how the timings would compare with CPKC to Bensenville?
Given my druthers I’d rather see these trains on the Bow Line via Valdosta. If I really had my druthers, routed via the Bow Line to Bainbridge then Tallahassee and Baldwin. The more you can obviate Jax the better.