Rail project in SW Detroit

[atrainguy60]

This was posted by Ren Farley on MichiganRailroads.com:

The news paper descriptions of the consent agreement that avoided the appointment of an emergency financial manager for Detroit, mentioned a number of things that the state would do for the city such as providing funds to maintain Belle Isle. Tucked into those stories was the mention of a $454 million rail loading facility in southwest Detroit. Presumably, the bulk of the cost would be paid by CN, NS and Conrail. I don't know how much the state would invest in this new project.

[TrainWatcher]

I had heard ramblings about this project earlier this year. CN and NS along with CR Shared Assets want to create some competition to CSX's North Baltimore Facility as well as UP's Global 1-4 facilities in Chicago. And with vast amounts of land and vacant buildings around down town, as well as the local industry starting to make a comeback, it could really benefit the railroads and the local economy.

NS used to run the intermodal out of Detroit on 20V, but I don't recall seeing anything along that nature recently except the TripleCrown Services that CN and NS jointly run near Oakwood.

Maybe some CN/GTW guys could share some insight, how cramped is Moterm?

[GTW6401]

NS used to run the intermodal out of Detroit on 20V, but I don't recall seeing anything along that nature recently except the Triple Crown Services that CN and NS jointly run near Oakwood.

20N and 21N are still running. 20V and 227 were the other Livernois intermodals on NS.

Maybe some CN/GTW guys could share some insight, how cramped is Moterm?

Moterm is chugging along. Plenty of containers are heading in and out of Moterm each day.

[Fred]

Subject isn't new. About 8 years or so ago, it was discussed about building a big intermodal site at the Livernois yard area. It would occupy the entire area of Junction Yard with all other frt car traffic shifted to the other yards in Detroit. One of the ideas was to have a new single rail tunnel built next to the existing one and then turning the existing tubes into truck routes from Windsor directly into the new Livernois "van site". The original idea had this new site serving the NS, CSXT, CP, and CN railroads. When I left Livernois two years ago, nothing had started on this proposed project..

[TrainWatcher]

NS used to run the intermodal out of Detroit on 20V, but I don't recall seeing anything along that nature recently except the Triple Crown Services that CN and NS jointly run near Oakwood.

20N and 21N are still running. 20V and 227 were the other Livernois intermodals on NS.

Maybe some CN/GTW guys could share some insight, how cramped is Moterm?

Moterm is chugging along. Plenty of containers are heading in and out of Moterm each day.

Thanks Steve, I did not know the symbols on the NS trains.

[CharlieX90]

227 and 20V were annulled. 20 and 21N handle the work from these trains including pick up and set offs in Toledo.

[GTW6401]

227 is still running, but only from Norfolk to Harrisburg, PA. 20V is completely gone it appears.

[CharlieX90]

227 is still running, but only from Norfolk to Harrisburg, PA. 20V is completely gone it appears.

Correct on both.

[azimmer]

Subject isn't new. About 8 years or so ago, ...

The project, known as the Detroit Intermodal Freight Terminal (DIFT), has been in the works since 1993, which is very close to being twenty years.

But the final hurdle seems to have been cleared. The environmental impact study has been completed and the Feds have given the green light. The DIFT project is now free to proceed with ROW acquisition and construction "as funding becomes available." (Those last four words are the key.)

http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-1 ... --,00.html

http://www.corradino.com/projects/plann ... reight.asp

Let's just hope that it doesn't require another twenty years to finish the job.

That's life in the vibrant and progessive state of Michigan.