NEWS |
118-98: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE , August 31, 1998
The new service will begin on September 5, according to the Port Authority and its intermodal partners, Conrail, Canadian Pacific Railway and Maher Terminals.
Continuing its double-digit growth, the ExpressRail terminal’s traffic increased by 22 percent in the first half of 1998. The terminal moved almost 74,000 containers during the first six months of the year, and July volumes increased 18 percent over July 1997.
The new Saturday train will enable steamship lines and their customers to shorten total transit time by several days for containers off-loaded from a vessel arriving late Friday or Saturday. Such containers will now be available on Monday morning in Chicago and Montreal, and Tuesday morning in Toronto. Points west of Chicago will also be served. The current seven-day-per-week eastbound service from Chicago will continue.
“The Port of New York and New Jersey continues to be the port of choice for companies moving cargo between the Midwest, eastern Canada, New England and the East Coast of the United States,” said Lillian C. Borrone, Director of the Port Authority’s Port Commerce Department. “Expanding our double-stack train service is an effort to respond to growing demand. It’s one more way we can continue to work with our partners to increase their volumes through this port and enhance the services we offer.”
Brian Maher, Chairman of Maher Terminals, the operator of ExpressRail, said, “The Saturday gate assures a smoother, more efficient transfer of cargo arriving at the end of the week. The Saturday train substantially increases our capacity and maintains New York/New Jersey’s total transit time advantage, especially coupled with the second-shift expanded weekday schedule and multiple daily departures instituted earlier this year,” he said.
Both Conrail and Canadian Pacific Railway welcomed the additional train service as a value-added benefit for Port customers “Conrail is delighted to support this product,” said Cynthia Archer, Senior Vice President of Conrail’s Intermodal Service Group. “By providing shippers with more transit options, we enhance the Port’s ability to maximize its resources.”
William McEwen, General Manager of International Marketing and Sales at Canadian Pacific Railway, said that the Saturday train will enhance service enjoyed by customers in Canada. “With the increased train service, the Port of New York and New Jersey continues to increase its competitive advantage over other East Coast ports serving the growing Canadian market,” he said.
The Port of New York and New Jersey, the largest Port on the East Coast, is served by more than 80 steamship lines. It enjoys frequent sailings, an excellent labor force and a strategic position in the North Atlantic trade lanes. These attributes, coupled with fast, efficient rail service and continued reductions in costs, make it the premier regional hub port.
end