Panama Canal Widening - 2014

Just to stir things up a little, what with the Panama Canal expansion causing some lively discussion:

National Public Radio (NPR) is reporting on the considerable forward progress of a proposed canal to be constructed across Nicaragua. The route across Nicaragua will be a longer and slower route, thus to be an effective competitor, the canal is being designed to handle much larger ships than the expanded Panama Canal will be able to handle. The project appears to have serious financial backers including, of course, the government of Nicaragua.

One can only imagine what this would do to rail traffic patterns in the east if completed.

A link to a wikipedia article concerning the project: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicaragua_Canal

From Holiday Inn Express Boca Raton--

I am surprised that this discussion has overlooked that the PANAMAX project appears to be in serious trouble. Apparently there have been servere cost overruns by the Spanish consortium that holds the general contract and the Panamanian authority simply refuses to pay up.

A deal was struck last week and full work is resuming. Tragedy averted...

Today's New York Times has an article that succinctly describes the Bayonne Bridge project:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/23/nyreg ... ships.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Brief passage:

• When it opened in 1931, the Bayonne Bridge — with its parabolic arch connecting Staten Island and Bayonne, N.J. — was an engineering marvel, boasting the longest unsupported span of any steel arch bridge in the world. But the height of its roadway, at 151 feet above the Kill Van Kull waterway, is increasingly insufficient for the large container ships now calling at the container ports of Staten Island and New Jersey

As I have noted in the past at various forums about this site, sometimes I must wonder that with many East Coast maritime ports undertaking expansion projects, are they all getting ready to throw a party.....and nobody came. Somehow, I doubt if the West Coast ports, as well as BNSF and UP that enjoy those Transcontinental line hauls, will take lightly this 'intrusion' into their traffic base and will respond with competitive port charges and railroad rates.

disclaimer: author holds long positions CSX KSU UNP

Gilbert B Norman wrote:Today's New York Times has an article that succinctly describes the Bayonne Bridge project:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/23/nyreg ... ships.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Brief passage:

• When it opened in 1931, the Bayonne Bridge — with its parabolic arch connecting Staten Island and Bayonne, N.J. — was an engineering marvel, boasting the longest unsupported span of any steel arch bridge in the world. But the height of its roadway, at 151 feet above the Kill Van Kull waterway, is increasingly insufficient for the large container ships now calling at the container ports of Staten Island and New Jersey

As I have noted in the past at various forums about this site, sometimes I must wonder that with many East Coast maritime ports undertaking expansion projects, are they all getting ready to throw a party.....and nobody came. Somehow, I doubt if the West Coast ports, as well as BNSF and UP that enjoy those Transcontinental line hauls, will take lightly this 'intrusion' into their traffic base and will respond with competitive port charges and railroad rates.

disclaimer: author holds long positions CSX KSU UNP

They need the van trains gone to make room for their newest baby............CRUDE OIL

You're probably right because I'd assume the oil trains are the bigger money makers. CSX is trying to shoe horn the current business onto the River Line. If this container business picks up, forget it. NS will have to handle the lions share or maybe Route 80.