CBS Miami Report – FEC Cut Ribbon on New Port Transfer Station
July 15, 2014Channel 10 News – New Site Opened by FEC Outside Port Everglades
July 16, 2014FEC Unveils New Rail Facility Adjacent to Port Everglades
Today, Florida East Coast Railway, LLC (FEC) unveiled its state-of-the-art Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) adjacent to Port Everglades with a grand opening ceremony featuring an exclusive firsthand view of South Florida's new global gateway.
“We are excited to open this state of the art facility to serve our customers and the community,” FEC President and Chief Executive Officer James Hertwig said during today’s event, which was attended by more than 200 community and business leaders statewide. “This ICTF is a shining example of a successful public-private partnership between the FEC, Broward County and the state of Florida,” said Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief. “This rail facility that we are welcoming today is an important link to our future.” Port Everglades Chief Executive & Port Director Steve Cernak credited Broward’s Commission for having the foresight to plan for the facility 17 years ago.
“The ICTF ensures that Port Everglades remains competitive with other U.S. East Coast gateways, and, most importantly, it will give our port a cost and time-to-market advantage over many of these gateways, thereby putting more and more South Florida residents to work as a result of the additional business opportunities it will generate,” he said. The state-of-the-art 43-acre facility increases FEC’s available intermodal capacity from 100,000 to 450,000 lifts a year and the unique, near-dock intermodal facility will improve the transfer of both domestic and international containers between ships and rail.
Currently, these containers must be drayed off-port to rail terminals such as the current 12-acre Andrews Avenue rail yard in Fort Lauderdale or to Hialeah rail yard in Miami-Dade County.
“The new ICTF is a huge win for the port,” said Florida Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary Richard Biter.
The State of Florida contributed $18 million in grants to the $72 million project and awarded a $30 million state infrastructure bank loan to the FEC. “The project will enhance the ports competitiveness and will provide savings on a per container basis by shifting cargo from truck to rail.
The department is proud to work with everyone involved to make today a reality.” The FEC ICTF will allow FEC to build 9,000-foot unit trains within the facility without blocking any city streets and will allow cargo to move through Port Everglades to/from Atlanta and Charlotte in two days, and Nashville and Memphis in three days.
FEC’s connections to Class 1 railroads CSX and Norfolk Southern allow for rail service to 70 percent of the U.S. population within four days. Additionally, having empty 53-foot domestic containers and trailers adjacent to the port provides more opportunities to trans-load import cargo from ocean containers to domestic containers for inland rail transport.
This results in more domestic containers moving north as loads instead of empties, increasing the efficiency of our intermodal network. The ICTF is expected to reduce congestion on interstate highways and local roadways because loading and offloading cargo will take place at the port as opposed to offsite facilities. As a result, air emissions will be reduced by diverting an estimated 180,000 trucks from the roads by the year 2029.
View the ICTF video on YouTube.
About Florida East Coast Railway
The Florida East Coast Railway (“FEC”) is a 351-mile freight rail line located along the east coast of Florida. It is the exclusive rail provider for Port Miami, Port Everglades, and Port of Palm Beach. FEC connects to the national railroad network in Jacksonville, Florida, and provides carload and door-to-door intermodal solutions across North America to customers who demand cost-effective and premium quality service. For more information, call 1-800-342-1131 or email contact@fecrwy.com.
About Port Everglades
Port Everglades is Florida’s leading container ports, handling more than 927,000 TEUs annually and serving as a gateway to Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. Located in Greater Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Dania Beach, Florida, Port Everglades is in the heart of one of the world’s largest consumer regions, including a constant flow of visitors and up to 110 million residents plus seasonal visitors within a 500-mile radius. Port Everglades has direct access to the interstate highway system and the FEC intermodal hub, and is closer to the Atlantic Shipping Lanes than any other Southeastern U.S. port. Ongoing capital improvements and expansion will ensure that Port Everglades can continue to handle future growth in container traffic. A world-class cargo handling facility, Port Everglades serves as an ideal point of entry and departure for products shipped around the world. More information about Broward County’s Port Everglades is available at porteverglades.net or by calling toll-free in the United States 1-800-421-0188 or emailing PortEvergladesCargo@broward.org.