The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) announced significant progress on two major infrastructure enhancement projects - the Transloading Industrial Park and the Claiborne Yard expansion.
The NOPB Transloading Industrial Park off Jourdan Road in New Orleans East will serve as a site for shippers to move freight more efficiently between truck and rail into America’s heartland. The property, which is owned by the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA), will offer a new NOPB customer the opportunity to provide cost-effective shipping options while simultaneously opening up new markets, thus stimulating economic growth in the region.
Earlier this year, the NOPB Board of Commissioners awarded a $2.2 million-dollar contract to Cycle Construction Company LLC for construction on the transload yard. Since breaking ground in April, construction has been progressing and is now more than 85% complete. The entire project is expected to be completed in August and will have the capacity to service up to 21 railcars.
“We are laser focused on growing the economy and bringing even more jobs to our region,” said Acting Port NOLA President & CEO and Acting NOPB CEO, Ronald Wendel. “Infrastructure investments like this allow us to do just that while also moving products more efficiently through the global supply chain.”
The total project cost is $3 million and will be funded by a $1.5 million grant from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) Shortline Railroad Priority Program as well as a $1.5 million funding match from NOPB.
The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded NOPB $7.29 million in 2020 as part of the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Grant to help fund the additional railyard space and the deployment of automated switching technology. The last phase is the Claiborne Yard expansion near the St. Claude area, which will add four additional storage tracks, additional infrastructure for more efficient train operations and transloading for new or existing customers. The project broke ground in April and is scheduled to be complete later this month.
“We are proud to offer our customers and rail partners a competitive edge,” said NOPB General Manager Tomeka Watson Bryant. “TheNOPB Transloading Industrial Park and the Claiborne Yard expansion are examples of how we are growing our network and allowing new and current operators to enter or expand in the New Orleans market.”
In June, Port NOLA and NOPB announced double digit growth for intermodal rail volumes. Through its growing intermodal service and efficient global and inland connections, Port NOLA ensures that goods arrive at homes across the nation, that businesses can efficiently move their products, and that economic prosperity and job creation for the state and region continues.
Additionally in May, Port NOLA announced record container growth, moving a total of 133,845 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) during the third quarter of fiscal year 2024 representing a 19% increase year over year and a record quarter with container volume not seen since the supply chain issues of 2021.