Eastern Railroad Discussion > CSX Winter Haven, FL update?

Does anybody know what the status is with CSX's new intermodal terminal in Winter Haven, FL? Have they broken ground? I can't seem to find much information about it via Google searches, what little I did find had projected groundbreaking times all over the map. I believe they were aiming to have it up and running by 2014 so I would have to believe construction is underway but I just haven't heard much of anything about it. Thanks in advance.

Bill

The groundbreaking was this past November. Gov Rick Scott, the same who shot down the FL high-speed rail, was in attendance. The terminal has a target completion date of April 2014. Here's the complete article: http://www.theledger.com/article/20121108/NEWS/121109337

Andrew

Thanks, that answers it all nicely.

And work on the CSK "S" line is well along, enabling the S line to handle more traffic. Recognize that the first phase of this project is just the railroad's intermodal terminal. It does not involve the much larger (and still projected) complex of warehouses and light manufacturing that CSX and the real estate interests hope may develop. That still seems to be a work in progress.

I was told several years ago that the ultimate economic "driver" of this facility was not better handling of intermodal within Florida - rather it was about diverting traffic headed for Florida and elsewhere in the Caribbean that currently stops in Atlanta where it is vulnerable to competition from NS and their connection to FEC. Keep in mind that last I heard a couple of years ago that CSX intermodal traffic to and from south Florida is not handled by CSX but is turned over to FEC at Jacksonville: even thought CSX has its own line from JAX to Miami, the route is roundabout and is unionized, as compared to FEC from JAX.

I have heard rumors that CSX plans to start running intermodal to Miami on its own rather than via FEC, but I really know nothing about CSX in South Florida to know if that has any validity at all or not.

superchief1944 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>>
> I was told several years ago that the ultimate
> economic "driver" of this facility was not better
> handling of intermodal within Florida - rather it
> was about diverting traffic headed for Florida and
> elsewhere in the Caribbean that currently stops in
> Atlanta where it is vulnerable to competition from
> NS and their connection to FEC. Keep in mind that
> last I heard a couple of years ago that CSX
> intermodal traffic to and from south Florida is
> not handled by CSX but is turned over to FEC at
> Jacksonville: even thought CSX has its own line
> from JAX to Miami, the route is roundabout and is
> unionized, as compared to FEC from JAX.


Believe CSX plans to combined their Orlando intermodal ramp and the Tampa intermodal ramp operations at the new big facility at Winter Haven. Both Tampa and Orlando are smaller operations and CSX can just run trains to the new facility. Has nothing to do with diverting traffic from the FEC.
Currently my intermodal traffic has to be sorted at Jacksonville before running on a Tampa train or on an Orlando train. With the new operation they will run all the traffic straight to the Winter Haven ramp.

CSX gives all their intermodal traffic for Miami to FEC at Jacksonville. The CSX route to Miami would be longer and with a slower transit time. FEC is very quick.

gmojim

superchief1944 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And work on the CSK "S" line is well along,
> enabling the S line to handle more traffic.
> Recognize that the first phase of this project is
> just the railroad's intermodal terminal. It does
> not involve the much larger (and still projected)
> complex of warehouses and light manufacturing that
> CSX and the real estate interests hope may
> develop. That still seems to be a work in
> progress.
>
> I was told several years ago that the ultimate
> economic "driver" of this facility was not better
> handling of intermodal within Florida - rather it
> was about diverting traffic headed for Florida and
> elsewhere in the Caribbean that currently stops in
> Atlanta where it is vulnerable to competition from
> NS and their connection to FEC. Keep in mind that
> last I heard a couple of years ago that CSX
> intermodal traffic to and from south Florida is
> not handled by CSX but is turned over to FEC at
> Jacksonville: even thought CSX has its own line
> from JAX to Miami, the route is roundabout and is
> unionized, as compared to FEC from JAX.

The FEC certainly IS unionized! The conductors are members of the United Transportation Union and the engineers are either UTU or BLET. Been this way for years now..

chess - Thank you for pointing that out.