WCGroup, Brown County Port/Rail Committee 3/26/2013.
Posted 05/16/2013
WCGroup counsel and CN representatives participated at the Committee meeting including Brown County Executive Troy Steckenbach, other public officials, Georgia-Pacific, Proctor & Gamble and the Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad. Shipper survey results, as a general proposition, indicated ample traffic potential to support an intermodal terminal in the Brown County area.
The survey suggested longer haul potential (multi-directional) including CN intermodal operations at Memphis, Gulfport and Jackson, MS, and Mobile. CN identified a number of operational challenges that need to be addressed to achieve an efficient intermodal operation. WCGroup concurs that given economic challenges (e.g., many relatively short hauls, multiple car blocks, equipment positioning, the Chicago gateway) and in order to succeed, the operation needs to be designed for the most efficient terminal and train operations.
For CN's development of a plan to prioritize and systematically develop this intermodal opportunity, detailed origin-destination data is needed from interested shippers. This effort is on WCGroup's agenda and, we anticipate, following review by the CN Advisory Board in July, may be on the agenda of the CN/WCGroup Intermodal Committee. This effort is on WCGroup's agenda and, we anticipate, following review by the CN Advisory Board in July, may be on the agendas of the CN/WCGroup Log and Intermodal Committees.