Major Engineering Feat Paves the Way for Future Growth
North Bergen, New Jersey – October 8, 2010 – CSX, the State of New Jersey and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today joined U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) to celebrate the opening of the Liberty Corridor Freightway, a major public-private partnership that provides expanded access to the Port of New York and New Jersey.
Enabling double-stack intermodal freight to flow from the Port of New York and New Jersey to inland destinations, the Liberty Corridor Freightway will increase train capacity, improve service levels and expedite freight flows to and from inland ports. The project will also help keep thousands of trucks off crowded highways each year.
“The Liberty Corridor Freightway will be a jobs and economic activity engine for our state, which is the primary reason I worked to create the Liberty Corridor initiative in Congress. This particular portion of the initiative is crucial for allowing New Jersey business owners to easily sell and purchase goods to and from around the world, which helps homegrown businesses thrive and keeps jobs right here in our state,” said Senator Menendez. “I am thrilled to join CSX, the Port Authority and state and local officials to celebrate the completion of this project, which helps our economic recovery.”
With the opening of the Liberty Corridor Freightway, intermodal freight can flow to destinations across the country via CSX. The Liberty Corridor Freightway will also ease the burden on the nation’s roads. Just one Liberty Corridor Freightway train carries the cargo of 250 trucks and emits one-third the nitrous oxide and particulate matter.
Construction of the Liberty Corridor Freightway was a logistically complex undertaking that raised the clearance of two tunnels in New Jersey to accommodate double stack freight trains. One tunnel, which dates from the administration of Abraham Lincoln, passes through over 4,000 feet of dense rock directly beneath Jersey City, N.J.
“The Liberty Corridor Freightway builds our partnership with the port and region by enabling us to more efficiently move intermodal freight,” said Clarence W. Gooden, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, CSX. “This project prepares us, and the region, for continued growth as a leading freight hub.”
CSX Corporation, through its subsidiaries, based in Jacksonville, Fla., is one of the nation’s leading transportation companies, providing rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services. The company’s transportation network spans approximately 21,000 miles, with service to 23 eastern states and the District of Columbia, and connects to more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports. More information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at the company's web site, http://www.csx.com.
