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January 2012 www.sname.org/sname/mt Norfolk Southern, Canadian National, and Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway, all in Mobile. On the Coatzacoalcos side, there is a direct connection onto Mexican Railroad Ferrosur (Ferrocarril Del Sureste, S.A. de C.V.). At each port, railcars are transported and offloaded directly into the rail system at the other end of the service. With this service, the rail ferries can reduce turnaround times for railcars up to 50%.Explains Wild, ?Our relationship with the Alabama State Port Authority provides inter- change to ve Class I railroads and the Alabama & Gulf Coast Railroads. Because the three Class 1s (Canadian National, Norfolk Southern, and CSX) do not go west of the Mississippi River, our interchanges are balanced. e railroads recognize that this alternative provides joint customers with unique advantages, and they, too, are able to speed transit and improve equipment use.? In both Mobile and Coatzacoalcos, special- ized rail terminals were tted and constructed for the rail ferry operation. e slips are approx- imately 135 ft. wide by 450 ft. long. The rail infrastructure consists of two levels, with four lower ramps and six upper ramps. Each ramp weighs approximately 65 metric tons and is 75 ft. long. Once the ramp is connected to the ves- sel, there is a 17 ft. vertical clearance between the two levels. e upper ramps are constructed with a 3% grade. CG Railway?s double-decker ferries are 580 ft. long by 120 ft. wide and have the abil- ity to carry 115 standard rail cars. ey travel 900 miles by sea, as opposed to the 1,400 miles across the Mexican land border. is provides customers with better transit time and the ability to consolidate truckloads into rail cars, which oers the highest eciency to those who use the service. To make all this possible, semisubmers- ible vessels were converted into rail ferries by Jurung Shipyard in Singapore. e vessels are twin-screw variable pitch and are powered by two Mitsubishi MAN/B&W 4500 hp. engines. When making their journey through the gulf, the rail ferries use intermediate fuel oil 380 for propulsion in order to travel at their stan- dard speed of transit, which is 11 knots. Each vessel is equipped with two 450-hp. bow thrust- ers and operates at a draft of approximately 6 m. As part of their unique rail ferry capabili- ties, each vessel is equipped with 15 tracks, which equates to 6,860 linear ft. CG Railway?s process enables it to discharge and reload 115 cars within 10 hours. Companies from a range of industries, such as forest products, agricultural, metals, minerals, and chemicals (both hazardous and non-hazardous), have already taken advantage of the services. ?We are also able to ship over- dimensional project cargo,? says George Nahas, vice president of sales and marketing at CG Railway. ?Because of our four-day frequency, our service creates a pipeline of products moving on a continual basis, requiring less inventory stockpiling. Our two rail ferry vessels have an annual capacity in excess of 1.5 million metric tons, or 21,000 rail cars, to and from any- where within our eective service area.? e service area extends from east of the Mississippi River, Canada to Florida and Mexico City, and south up to the Yucatan Peninsula. Innovative approach While the rail ferry is not a new concept, the company?s approach is what makes CG Railways an innovator in logistics. ?is con-cept oers a unique opportunity to seamlessly plug into the rail systems of Mexico, the United States and Canada, creating the only interna- tional rail ferry service from the United States,? says Wild. ?Marine rail service is a niche mar- ket. For international business, the operation can only run in locations where the rail gauge is identical to that of the United States.? e company rst began its rail ferry ser- vice with a handful of companies. ?We have to give thanks to those who initially recognized the benets early on and helped us get the ball rolling,? says Wild. ?Now, we have a history of success, an established trust and proven track record with our service. e important thing is getting over the hurdle of thinking that this is a new concept. is is an 11-year-old service that is a reality and a viable alternative.? Another way this rail ferry is modernizing the railroad industry is the environmentally friendly aspect of the service. In addition to being ecient, CG Railway is a greener alter- native to traditional land border crossing. ?The combination of rail and marine services presents an opportunity to help com-panies reach their ?green? objectives,? offers Wild. ?Fast transit and through billing allows us to compete against truck trac, which helps reduce over-the-road congestion.? History While CG Railway Inc. was established in 2000, the rail ferry company is a subsidiary of International Shipholding Corporation (ISH) and a member of the Association of American Railroads. Founded in 1947, ISH, formerly Central Gulf Steamship Corporation (one of the company?s subsid- iary companies) dates as far back as 1919. Mobile?s rst shipping company, Waterman Tracks Across the Gulf CG Railway?s double-decker rail ferries, like Bali Sea , shown here from the stern, are 580 ft. long by 120 ft. wide and have the ability to carry 115 standard railcars. SNAþÿ MME?s þÿ MMaritime Economics Panel (O-36) denes marine highways, previously referred to as short sea shipping, as follows: ?Freight service operations carrying either containerized or trai- lerized cargoes (or empties) via the coastal waters and river systems of North and Central America, having at least one port of call in the United States, and in particular those services where there is a true ?intermodal choice? to be made by the shipper between moving units by water and using one or more land-based alternatives (i.e. highway and/or rail).? The discriminating factor is the notion of ?true intermodal choice,? implying that America?s marine highways (Aþÿ MMH) in its purest form refers to marine services that do not already exist as a result of geographic advantages, but instead to new marine services that oer an alternative to established modes (i.e. truck and rail). These services may move pure domestic freight (either as trailers or intermodal containers), or they may be container feeder services seeking to mitigate congestion at a major port by diverting a portion of inbound and outbound freight from truck to ships or barges. þÿ IIt is anticipated that A þÿ MMH would result in local or national benets, referred to as exter- nalities, including reduced costs associated with: highway congestion; highway infrastructure maintenance and expansion; safety; noise (reected in property values); and pollution/health. The þÿ MMarine Highways Cooperative has developed a benets calculator to assist in quantifying these externalities compared to other modes. 50_53_LimCGRailwayfeature_SNAME_Jan12_P3.indd 5212/22/11 3:43 PM