Eastern Railroad Discussion > Philly Crude Info

Crude oil crosses paths with two Philadelphia commuter train lines

By Curtis Tate

McClatchy Washington BureauAugust 18, 2014 Updated 2 hours ago


A Norfolk Southern crude oil train snakes its way through Northeast Philadelphia on March 24, 2014. Crude oil trains share track space with Amtrak and commuter trains in different parts of the city, which has become a major destination for crude oil from North Dakota's Bakken region. Five or six loaded crude oil trains traverse the region daily, according to estimates provided by Amtrak and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency has denied open records requests from McClatchy and other news organizations for information about crude oil trains in the state. (Curtis Tate/McClatchy)

CURTIS TATE — McClatchy

Philadelphia’s commuter railroad runs alongside at least three crude oil trains every day on two of its lines, and is looking to separate the freight operations in those places to avoid delaying its passenger trains.

Jeff Knueppel, deputy general manager of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, said that CSX operates an average of two loaded and two empty crude oil trains a day on the West Trenton Line, which the freight railroad owns but the commuter railroad dispatches.

The double-track line, which terminates in West Trenton, N.J., sees 57 commuter trains and more than 20 freights a day, including the crude oil trains. A $38 million project, supported by a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, will build a six-mile-long third track to keep CSX freights out of the way of SEPTA trains.

Knueppel said he hopes the new track will be operational by the end of 2015. The oil trains are going to the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery complex in South Philadelphia, which was slated to close until rail deliveries of Bakken crude oil revived it recently.

A stickier problem, Kneuppel said, is SEPTA’s line to Philadelphia International Airport. The city owns the track and paid to improve it for high-speed commuter trains. But CSX and Norfolk Southern both can operate a limited number of freight trains on it, including crude oil trains.

“The issue that’s been the most difficult,” he said, “is on the airport high-speed line.”

Norfolk Southern is already operating one roundtrip every night over three miles of the airport line to reach a new crude-oil offloading terminal in Eddystone, Pa. The facility is designed to receive two loaded crude oil trains a day of 120 cars each, but the four-hour overnight window SEPTA imposes on the freight movements poses a challenge.

Knueppel said Norfolk Southern and CSX had approached SEPTA about running crude oil trains over the airport line in daylight, but the communter railroad made clear that such operations would interfere with its trains. Moreover, the railroads’ agreement with the city requires that passenger trains be given priority.

“I think they were surprised when we stood our ground,” Knueppel said of the freight carriers.

He said that the railroads could run more crude oil trains over the airport line, provided they pay for a separate track.

“We’ve made it quite clear that they would have to fund the improvements,” he said.

Email: ctate@mcclatchydc.com; Twitter: @tatecurtis

>>“I think they were surprised when we stood our ground,” [Septa's] Knueppel said of the freight carriers.<<

No %^$# !

When the Eddystone, PES, Trainer, and Delaware City plants were re-opened, city and state authorities couldn't issue enough waivers and exceptions. Unions gave up certain prerogatives, too.

It sounds like Septa has drawn a line in the dirt, whether their political masters will honor it is another issue.

Train counts are not quite right, at least now. For months CSX has routed empty oil trains from Philly and Eddystone via the Philly Sub to Baltimore and Cumberland to go back to the oilfields. Just saw one this morning, two UP engines and 100 mty mostly UTLX older tanks, but BNSF buffers. so empty trains are not using the Trenton Sub, just 2 loads a day to PES and maybe one more to Eddystone, but Eddystone is not fully ramped up yet, and NS can also deliver trains Eddystone.

I do not know if routing the empties via the Phiily sub is permanent. But one reason it works is that CSX has more northbound trains in the Richmond to Philly crew pool than southbounds. So they can rest a Richmond crew in Philly and use them to take an mty oil to Baltimore then deadhead, usually on AMTK, back to Richmond. I do not see where AMTK is involved that much. Both CSX and NS can route oil trains via Pennsy's old Hi-Line or CSX via Park Jct. The High Line route is adjacent to one AMTK line briefly at Zoo but there is no connection. The High Line is parallel to AMTK yards at 30th Street Station and goes over SEPTA there, then over AMTK at Arsenal. NS Eddystone trains could be routed to the Airport Line via from Arsenal to PHIL, CSX owns the track to PhIL but it is parallel to the NEC for 0.9 miles but trains would be going 10 mph on the connecting track. I suppose NS could route oil loads and empties on AMTK NEC to HOOK and via the Linwood Sec via Stoney Creek Yard but it would make a lot more sense for NS empty Eddystone trains to use this route.

But it is my understanding that NS oil and empties are routing via CSX and Park Jct, that why they took steps to qualify more crews that way, and so far have done so. Originally the part of the Airport Line referred to above was owned by RDG and then CR, so in hind sight was not a good idea to sell it, but no one could predict the oil boom.

unless they build a flyover at CP-60th St or CP-90th St in south Philly trains will continue to interact with the need to crossover from the east side to the west side of Septa's AHSL (Airport High Speed Line)... I don't see why the Septa AHSL is a problem with the window to go through between 1200 and 0400 when Septa doesn't run ... the line is double track and 2 trains can pass which is usually what happens ... now if service ramps up to 2 trains a day for Eddystone well then that might a problem ... now the Trenton Line is another story with just the double track bridge over the Delaware River ...

to address tp117's routing off the high line via Amtrak to Phil onto the Airport Line ... the Septa escape track for one thing has an electric lock hand throw on Septa's end so logistically that wouldn't be feasible plus the grade from Phil towards CP-6Oth St would rival the Engleside connection compressed into a 1500' section so that's really not an option



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/20/14 13:56 by Out_Of_Service.

tp117 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Train counts are not quite right, at least now.
> For months CSX has routed empty oil trains from
> Philly and Eddystone via the Philly Sub to
> Baltimore and Cumberland to go back to the
> oilfields. Just saw one this morning, two UP
> engines and 100 mty mostly UTLX older tanks, but
> BNSF buffers. so empty trains are not using the
> Trenton Sub, just 2 loads a day to PES and maybe
> one more to Eddystone, but Eddystone is not fully
> ramped up yet, and NS can also deliver trains
> Eddystone.
>
> I do not know if routing the empties via the
> Phiily sub is permanent. But one reason it works
> is that CSX has more northbound trains in the
> Richmond to Philly crew pool than southbounds. So
> they can rest a Richmond crew in Philly and use
> them to take an mty oil to Baltimore then
> deadhead, usually on AMTK, back to Richmond. I do
> not see where AMTK is involved that much. Both CSX
> and NS can route oil trains via Pennsy's old
> Hi-Line or CSX via Park Jct. The High Line route
> is adjacent to one AMTK line briefly at Zoo but
> there is no connection. The High Line is parallel
> to AMTK yards at 30th Street Station and goes over
> SEPTA there, then over AMTK at Arsenal. NS
> Eddystone trains could be routed to the Airport
> Line via from Arsenal to PHIL, CSX owns the track
> to PhIL but it is parallel to the NEC for 0.9
> miles but trains would be going 10 mph on the
> connecting track. I suppose NS could route oil
> loads and empties on AMTK NEC to HOOK and via the
> Linwood Sec via Stoney Creek Yard but it would
> make a lot more sense for NS empty Eddystone
> trains to use this route.
>
> But it is my understanding that NS oil and empties
> are routing via CSX and Park Jct, that why they
> took steps to qualify more crews that way, and so
> far have done so. Originally the part of the
> Airport Line referred to above was owned by RDG
> and then CR, so in hind sight was not a good idea
> to sell it, but no one could predict the oil boom.

Hazmat loads are not allowed through Baltimore. Hence loads on water level route, empties out through Cumberland. Plus it relieves congestion on river sub

Posted from iPhone

tp117 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> NS
> Eddystone trains could be routed to the Airport
> Line via from Arsenal to PHIL, CSX owns the track
> to PhIL but it is parallel to the NEC for 0.9
> miles but trains would be going 10 mph on the
> connecting track.


There is currently no connection from the CSX 58th Street / Arsenal Connection to SEPTA's Airport Line. A loaded train for Eddystone can only access the Airport Line via the B&O at Eastwick.

nanshant Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There is currently no connection from the CSX 58th
> Street / Arsenal Connection to SEPTA's Airport
> Line. A loaded train for Eddystone can only
> access the Airport Line via the B&O at Eastwick.



I think I once saw a movie called "The Switches of Eastwick".

darkcloud Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> nanshant Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > There is currently no connection from the CSX
> 58th
> > Street / Arsenal Connection to SEPTA's Airport
> > Line. A loaded train for Eddystone can only
> > access the Airport Line via the B&O at
> Eastwick.
>
>
>
> I think I once saw a movie called "The Switches of
> Eastwick".

Encountering Susan Sarandon trackside could be a delight...