On Thursday, October 22, the Port Authority Board of Commissioners approved an agreement that will allow construction to proceed on a major ship-to-rail facility adjacent to Global Container Terminal (GCT) in Bayonne.
GCT will build, operate, and maintain the new ExpressRail Port Jersey facility in Greenville Yard. ExpressRail Port Jersey is slated to open in 2018. The facility will promote more efficient and environmentally friendly movement of cargo.
The Port Authority will pay GCT up to $56 million to cover construction costs. The agency will cover this funding via the Cargo Facility Charge, a per-container fee assessed on cargo shipped through the Port of New York and New Jersey. Cargo Facility Charges have been used to pay for road, rail, and security projects.
Completion of this ExpressRail Port Jersey will ensure that each of the Port Authority’s marine terminals has direct access to rail. The Port Jersey facility is expected to reduce truck traffic and result in significant environmental benefits for the region as a whole.
Specifically, ExpressRail Port Jersey should reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 415 tons and particulate matter emissions by 108 tons during its lifetime. These totals are equivalent to taking more than 45,300 cars off the road. ExpressRail Port Jersey should also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 331,161 tons, or the equivalent carbon emissions from 30,215 homes.
At present, cargo coming on and off ships at GCT Bayonne transports to and from its final destination by truck, or by truck to another ExpressRail facility. With an initial minimum capacity of 125,000 container lifts per year, ExpressRail Port Jersey will enable the transloading of containerized cargo from ship to rail, offering ocean carriers and their customers a more efficient and environmentally friendly option for movement of goods.
For more information, please visit: http://www.panynj.gov/press-room/press-item.cfm?headLine_id=2306