Photo Courtesy of CSX
The MRFC released its first-ever Action Plan last Thursday.
By Forum Staff
The Metropolitan Rail Freight Council last Thursday released its first-ever Action Plan – a guiding document dedicated to growing rail freight capacity and volumes, investing in and preserving rail freight infrastructure, creating jobs, promoting environmental sustainability, creating an infrastructure bank, and ensuring a more resilient freight supply chain for the New York City metropolitan area, according to the City Economic Development Corporation.
“It is critically important to the future of New York City and the Metropolitan region to be able to move more goods by rail, with an expected increase of at least 37 percent in freight being transported to, from and through this region over the next 20 years—beyond the capacity of our roadways—doing nothing is unacceptable and is tantamount to putting a lid on economic development,” said U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-Brooklyn, Manhattan), chairman of the council. “I’m proud to have helped establish and chair the MRFC, and together with the cooperation of the Port Authority and NYCEDC, we have created an open forum where rail stakeholders meet and identify and resolve problems, report on progress, and increase cooperation between all rail stakeholders, both private entities and public agencies. The action plan we are releasing today is emblematic of that cooperation; it will provide the vital guidance to increasing the rail freight capacity in the east of Hudson region.”
The council noted that the combination of fatigued, outdated infrastructure and complex regulatory challenges has resulted in substantial overreliance on trucking to move goods around the region instead of rail and other methods. Overreliance on trucking has resulted in increased traffic congestion, pollution, and infrastructure maintenance that strain transportation costs.
Additionally, proposed solutions are identified through various projects outlined in the Action Plan that complement ongoing efforts to increase rail capacity in the region, including enhancing infrastructure in both New Jersey and New York.
According to the MRFC, primary goals the Action Plan seeks to achieve include:
• Economic Development: Grow the number of jobs in the region by increasing competitiveness by making rail shipping a more attractive option
• Capacity: Increase the amount of freight that rail can move over the network to support current and future demand
• Connectivity: Optimize the freight network to increase fluidity and efficiency across the supply chain
• Safety: Ensure the safety and security of pedestrians, private vehicles, and passengers
• Sustainability: Minimize the environmental impacts of goods transported by rail-served businesses
• Resiliency: The ability for the freight transportation network to rebound from an unexpected disruption, and limit the impact of extreme weather events through hazard mitigation
According to the MRFC, intermodal traffic in the Port of New York and New Jersey grew by 22 percent between 2013 and 2015, outperforming the national growth rate of 7 percent. Intermodal freight is freight that is transferred between two modes—such as ship to rail— and is usually carried in 20 or 40-foot shipping containers.
“Reliable and efficient cargo transportation is critical to a successful economy,” said City EDC President and CEO James Patchett. “Strategically investing in rail freight infrastructure creates good-paying jobs, strengthens trade, and improves the quality of life in the metro area, and the nation as a whole.”
The MRFC was convened in 2015 and is co-managed by the City EDC and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Council members include several New York and New Jersey public agencies: the NYC Mayor’s Office, City Department of Transportation, and the City Office of Emergency Management. Council members include every railroad company operating in the New York City region, such as CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, New York New Jersey Rail, LLC, and New York & Atlantic Railway. The Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad are also MRFC members.
