ExpressRail

ExpressRail
Company type	Public–private partnership
Industry	Rail freight transport
Founder	Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and partners
Headquarters	New York City and New Jersey (multiple locations), United States
Area served	Port of New York and New Jersey
Products	Intermodal freight rail services
Owner	Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and various public and private partners

ExpressRail constitutes a system of rail yards situated on or near docks that facilitate intermodal freight transport at principal container terminals within the Port of New York and New Jersey. This network was established through a collaboration between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and various public and private partners. As of 2019, the infrastructure comprised four active facilities with a combined capacity to handle 1.5 million container lifts.

ExpressRail’s connection to major East Coast rail freight operators such as Norfolk Southern (NS) and CSX Transportation (CSX) is enabled by several switching and terminal railroads, including Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CRCX) operating on the Chemical Coast Secondary. In 2012, ExpressRail managed approximately 433,000 containers, representing around 12% of the port’s total container throughput. The volume of rail lifts was recorded at 391,596 TEUs for the fiscal year ending October 2014. This figure rose to 646,000 lifts in 2018 and further increased to 700,000 in 2020, demonstrating a rising trend in intermodal transport demand at the port.

ExpressRail Elizabeth

Located at the Elizabeth Marine Terminal () on Newark Bay in Elizabeth, New Jersey, ExpressRail Elizabeth is the oldest and largest facility within the ExpressRail system, having commenced operations in 2004. The project was spearheaded by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) and is currently managed by Millennium Marine Rail, a subcontractor formed as a joint venture between Maher Terminals and APM Terminals, both principal tenants at this terminal.

This terminal encompasses 18 rail tracks and dispatches between two and four trains daily throughout the week.

ExpressRail Newark

Situated at Port Newark (), just north of the Elizabeth Marine Terminal along Newark Bay, this facility accommodates both container shipments and roll-on/roll-off automobile cargo. Its intermodal yard is equipped with two container loading tracks.

ExpressRail Newark dispatches CSX Q163 and L163 trains bound for Syracuse-DeWitt and receives CSX Q114 and Q162 trains arriving from Syracuse-DeWitt.

An expansion project is underway to increase capacity from two to four tracks, effectively doubling the rail length to 10,000 feet. This upgrade includes installation of new rubber-tired gantry cranes designed specifically for rail operations as well as a fly-over bridge, with completion targeted for 2015.

Port Newark also functions as a significant center for automobile import/export through roll-on/roll-off services. Adjacent to it are Doremus Avenue Auto Terminal I & II, owned by Conrail, which serve both CSX and NS. These terminals feature ten unloading tracks and ten holding tracks spread over an 87-acre area dedicated to multilevel autorack cars.

ExpressRail Staten Island

At the mouth of the Arthur Kill on Staten Island, New York City, lies Port Liberty New York located at the Howland Hook Marine Terminal (). Its on-dock ExpressRail yard consists of seven tracks that connect directly to the neighboring Arlington Yard. From Arlington Yard, trains traverse the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge, linking to the Chemical Coast line in Elizabeth, New Jersey. While Staten Island handles railcars passing through, it does not serve as an origin or destination point for trains.

The North Shore branch of the Staten Island Railway, originally inaugurated in 1860 under operation by the Baltimore and Ohio, once ran from Cranford, New Jersey to Saint George Terminal. Passenger services ceased in 1953; however, freight operations persisted under B&O’s successor CSX until 1991 when ownership transferred to Delaware Otsego. Freight service resumed along the western North Shore Railroad corridor near Howland Hook in 2005. On October 4, 2006, a locomotive crossed the Arthur Kill bridge for switching tasks—the first train movement there in sixteen years. Full rail service restoration at Howland Hook marine terminal was achieved in 2007 following completion of a single-track connection to Chemical Coast, significantly improving freight linkages for Port Liberty and supporting regional logistics expansion.

ExpressRail Port Jersey

The ExpressRail Port Jersey near-dock rail terminal at Port Jersey is operated by CMA CGM, providing service to the nearby Port Liberty Bayonne semi-automated container terminal. Located on Upper New York Bay in Jersey City, close to Bayonne, Greenville Yard () is connected to the national rail network through New York New Jersey Rail, utilizing the National Docks Secondary line.

Originally part of the Pennsylvania Railroad's operations along the Hudson Waterfront, this facility, now managed by New York New Jersey Rail, maintains the last operational car float system in New York Harbor, transporting freight cars by barge to yards in Brooklyn. Since the PANYNJ assumed control in 2010, significant upgrades have been pursued, although progress was temporarily hindered by the impact of Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

In December 2016, PANYNJ initiated a $365 million modernization project, which reached completion in January 2019. The upgraded terminal features 9,600 feet of active track, 32,000 feet of additional support track and switches, alongside infrastructure designed for dual cantilevered rail-mounted gantry cranes. This facility is capable of handling 125,000 container lifts each year. The project scope also included construction of two new rail-to-barge transfer bridges, procurement of two new car float barges each with an 18-rail-car capacity, and acquisition of four ultra-low emission locomotives to replace older models. Out of the total $356 million expenditure, PANYNJ contributed $320 million, with further financial support from involved stakeholders. Additionally, the New Jersey Department of Transportation dedicated over $87 million from its 2014-2017 budget for this initiative and related land acquisitions.

The initial phase of the project, comprising four tracks and two gantry cranes, commenced operations on January 7, 2019; the remaining four tracks were finalized by June 17, 2019. This expansion significantly improves cargo handling efficiency and bolsters the Port of New York and New Jersey’s standing within the regional logistics framework.

Funding

The initiative began with a capital injection of $600 million from PANYNJ. By 2014, the cargo facilities charge (CFC) was adjusted to $9.80 per 40-foot container, replacing the earlier $57.50 fee introduced in March 2011 for rail system usage. This revision aimed to reduce costs and distribute them more evenly to promote increased rail freight traffic.

External links

Freight Rail Capacity and Needs to Year 2040, North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority