Study: Small tunnels hinder freight movement

NEPA News ^ | March 25, 2003

[Willie Green]

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.

Norfolk Southern Corp. could shave 667 miles off freight travel between Virginia and Ohio if railroad tunnels along the way were enlarged to accommodate double-stacked containers, the Rahall Transportation Institute said.

Most of the 28 tunnels between Norfolk, Va., and Columbus, Ohio, are in West Virginia, but the Mountain State would not benefit as much as the other states from the project, according to a study released Monday by the institute.

The study is part of a long-range effort to assess and improve the region's freight capabilities.

Enlarging the tunnels, which are not tall enough for double-stacked containers to pass through, would cost between $43 million and $127 million, depending on several options. One option includes construction of a $16 million container handling facility in Wayne County, according to the study.

Currently, double-stacked containers traveling from Norfolk bypass West Virginia and take either a 967 mile-route through Knoxville, Tenn., or a 1,038-mile route through Harrisburg, Pa. Those routes add $450 to $650 in shipping costs to each container, the study found.

The study recommends that the federal government pay for most of the project because it would benefit several states.

However, West Virginia would see little benefit unless the Wayne County facility is built. That facility also would benefit eastern Kentucky and southern Ohio.

"I don't think there would ever be a point where West Virginia would be expected to fund a majority of the project," said Mark Burton, a Marshall University economist who co-authored the study with David Clarke, a Clemson University engineering professor.

"The key here is that most of the benefits from this, certainly most of the efficiency gains, will accrue to a wide range of customers throughout the country," Burton said.

He said West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia could share the cost of a detailed engineering study of the tunnels, which he estimated would be $2.5 million to $4.5 million.

[Tacis]

Hey, I'm sure Grand Kleagle Byrd will be able to kick in whatever federal money West Virginia needs. Just tell Byrd that it is for the efficient transportation of field hands. He'll know what that means.

[revtown]

I think WVa would benefit by all the jobs building the tunnels would create.

Don't they have alot of unemployed coal miners?
They should be able to dig tunnels.

[okie01]

"Don't they have alot of unemployed coal miners? They should be able to dig tunnels."

Grand Kleagle Byrd would prefer that unemployed miners remain unemployed. Keeps them dependent, doncha know?

[ikka]

I am sure that the railroads are going to be pulling the same scam they did here in PA: get the state congresscritters to pull money from the ROAD TAXES fund, funded mostly by truckers paying over $2 per gallon of diesel and $1800 per year per truck in licensing fees.

Here in PA they scammed us for $40 million to get double-stack capability everywhere.

[Willie Green]

Here in PA they scammed us for $40 million to get double-stack capability everywhere.

$40 million is pretty cheap as far as today's construction costs go.
That'd pay for barely 2~3 miles of new highway.
IMHO, it sounds like quite a bargain to make the rail lines more efficient.
And with more freight shipped by rail, it would help save wear and tear on the highways, while also reducing highway congestion.

[PAR35]

I've got a radical idea. Norfolk Southern owns the rail line, so they should be invited to pay for the improvement to their asset.

[Rocky]

Small tunnels hinder freight movement.
Small roads hinder freight movement.
Small docks hinder freight movement.
Small airports hinder freight movement.