Finding rail site may be tough

Near-dock rail lines should serve a State Ports Authority container terminal being built in North Charleston, a new study suggests, but finding a universally acceptable site seems to be a daunting task.

Commissioned by the state Commerce Department, the recently completed state rail plan recommends two "intermodal yards" to serve the terminal, which is scheduled to open at the former Navy base in 2014.

But one of the proposed sites could conflict with a yet-unbuilt road, while the others would violate an agreement between the SPA and the City of North Charleston.

The suggestions are part of about 200 pages of background and explanations of previous rail studies from across the state. Commerce paid transportation consulting firm Wilbur Smith Associates about $356,000 for the report.

Commerce Secretary Joe Taylor said the rail plan underscores the importance of providing access for both CSX and Norfolk Southern at or near the SPA's new shipping terminal.

The idea is to cut down on port-related truck traffic by putting more inbound and outbound cargo onto train cars. The site of the future terminal does not have enough room for its own yard, according to the study.

"If we're going to get those containers off the highway, we're going to have an intermodal facility at that port at a competitive price to move containers there by rail," Taylor said.

Ideally, a single site would accommodate both rail carriers, said Jeffrey McWhorter, president of S.C. Public Railways, which is part of the Commerce Department. But since CSX and Norfolk Southern seem disinclined to take that step, McWhorter said his agency, in cooperation with the SPA, would own and operate separate yards.

"There's a lot of work yet to be done," he said. "As far as a timeline, we would want those facilities open and operational whenever the container terminal opens."

According to North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey, that work might include a legal battle.

The study says a parcel designated for Clemson University on the west side of Hobson Avenue could serve Norfolk Southern. But that would violate an agreement between the city and the SPA that rail not run through the north end of the former base. So would an alternative location on the Noisette Co.'s property.

"If we have to, I'm prepared to file federal lawsuits," Summey said. "Hopefully we can work it out before it gets to that point."

A CSX facility recommended for the Macalloy Yard off Pittsburg Avenue poses its own challenge. If it is to be developed as its owners intend, it would require moving part of a $300 million access road that must be built to serve the new terminal, a change that some state lawmakers refuse to entertain.

The study suggests considering a redesign that would not require relocating the road.

Officials from Macalloy's owner, Shipyard Creek Associates, were not available to comment on the report.

Though plans for the new North Charleston port terminal did not include on-site rail, SPA spokesman Byron Miller said the agency fully supports having such facilities nearby.

"Increased rail connections and service are vitally important to the ports authority and its customers," Miller said, pointing to an anticipated increase in volume when the terminal comes online. "Better rail connections inland will only be more important in the future."

Taylor of the Commerce Department said the rail study's other key recommendation establishes an agency to oversee railroad plans and policy within the state Department of Transportation. He said upcoming legislation will introduce the idea, marking a step toward the state's first centralized rail planning group.

Reach Allyson Bird at 937-5594 or abird@postandcourier.com.