Could temporary rail service get freight around the Ambassador Bridge blockade?

I'm just wondering if it would be possible for the relevant railroads to set up a piggyback shuttle from someplace near Detroit to someplace near Windsor, to carry trucks around the blockade at the Ambassador Bridge. Or to run boxcar or intermodal shuttles between auto-industry plants and the like while the trucks can't get through.

Why wouldn't this work: Capacity of the tunnels? Loading/unloading yards/equipment? Supply of appropriate cars? Just too slow because of loading and unloading?

My 2 cent's worth. Physically, yes. Practically, no.

It would require a lot of planning, rates to be put into place, Customs procedures to be set up on each side, re-positioning of equipment, paperwork and computer adjustments to be made, and so much more. Also, what do you do with the "tractor" part of the combination? TOFC equipment is not set up to handle them. you can't leave the drivers in them due to liability anyway.

And most likely the bridge blockade is a relatively short-term problem. Another week or so maybe? If faced with something like total replacement of the bridge, alternate options would be studied. For this issue, there's not a lot that can be done instantly.

AF and BR&P: This rail service would need to have high security at both the Michigan and Ontario sites selected
and at or near the Detroit-Windsor rail tunnel. Then there would be USCBP/US DHS and CBSA to deal with which
could turn a plan with good intentions like this one into a bureaucratic nightmare...

Another thought could be to avoid using any rail facilities in the Detroit and Windsor areas and to use sites in
Ann Arbor or Jackson in Michigan and Chatham or London in Ontario. The resulting problem would be just
that much more rail lines that would have to be patrolled and guarded...

The CN route using the St. Clair River Tunnel (Port Huron, MI-Sarnia, ON) could be an even better route for
an alternate rail service than Detroit-Windsor - but the same high security would be needed for those rail
facilities just the same on that routing...

Some of the rebelling truckers could well blockade both rail loading and unloading sites making the plan not
workable - I agree with BR&P is that this will likely be a short-term situation and that some sort of reasonable
compromise ending this stand-off will be reached - optomistically by the end of this month (February 2022 FTR)

Let's hope for the best to resolve this crisis...MACTRAXX

We have far too reliance on trucks where trains would be far more efficient, especially in labor terms. Trucker shortage isn't going away, and trains need far fewer people to operate them. And cause far less pollution.

photobug56 wrote:We have far too reliance on trucks where trains would be far more efficient, especially in labor terms. Trucker shortage isn't going away, and trains need far fewer people to operate them. And cause far less pollution.

True, but has nothing to do with the topic of this thread.

Regarding which:
Automakers impacted by the ongoing bridge blockade by Canadian truckers protesting COVID-19 mandates in the country are getting creative to keep parts moving to their production facilities, with some reportedly using air transport as a workaround.

Industry and union sources told Reuters that Ford and other automakers have taken to moving products by air in order to keep operations moving.

Fox News