The St. Louis Regional Freightway

dredger · PostNov 04, 2021#2762021-11-04T00:38+00:00

Pretty good summary and breakdown of what CPKC believes their new train counts will land, how much traffic they will take away from other carriers & where they plan to invest as per their merger application. I still think it will be a non gain nor a loser as far as St. Louis Region goes.

It does state how KC will gain and lose in terms of admin & dispatchers. KC loses Corporate HQ but new railroad will close down CP's Twin Cities North American/Dispatch office & relocate to KC. No surprises there. Still think it will be a big win over time for KC in terms of being centrally located for NAFTA trade w one carrier touching multiple ports, manufacturing hubs & metro areas

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews ... t_approval

symphonicpoet · PostNov 04, 2021#2772021-11-04T05:51+00:00

^KCS has been talking up their Mexican access for decades now. It's probably their strongest asset. They have a good N/S spine. I know the corporate loss hurts, but I bet this will be more Bayer and less InBev for them. And anything that helps CP and KCS survive in the modern world is good, even if it means they have to survive together rather than apart. The CN-KCS merger just never made good sense to me.

sc4mayor · PostNov 04, 2021#2782021-11-04T13:06+00:00

As demand surges, developer builds three warehouses at once in new $65M Riverport Trade Center
https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/new ... t5pZnt3dOI

dredger · PostNov 04, 2021#2792021-11-04T19:10+00:00

^ thanks, another bizjournals story link as biz journals had a few industrial related articles today. Hopefully this spill over to some of the city riverfront developments. Thinking the old coke site that Greens Streets was developing as well as a south riverfront site between Soulard and river, can't think of the name for the life of me but believe it was the environmental clean up outfit.

https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/new ... -next.html

The St. Louis region has 5.9 million square feet of industrial space under construction, a record-low vacancy rate of 3.8%, and asking prices that have increased over the past year by 25%. Those are numbers veteran brokers say they've never seen before.

SeattleNative · PostNov 16, 2021#2802021-11-16T12:00+00:00

Fox2 - Solution to America’s supply chain woes could lie with the Mississippi River

https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/solut ... ppi-river/

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

gone corporate · PostNov 16, 2021#2812021-11-16T19:49+00:00

^ You GDMF right, Fox2! Awesome link, @SeattleNative.

IMHO, the best return on the dollar the STL region can make is through transportation and logistics. If I had the money, I'd be building warehouses along the entire stretch of I-255 from Columbia & Dupo up to Edwardsville and north of there. At both airports, too. Big time.

Q: Are there any good places to build industrial parks near Herculaneum/Crystal City, or does the topography consist of too many rolling hills?

symphonicpoet · PostNov 17, 2021#2822021-11-17T04:45+00:00

^^It's remarkably nice seeing Bunt and Parsons actually backing the thing. Even if we disagree on everything else it's nice to see that we really can work together on something.

gone corporate · PostNov 18, 2021#2832021-11-18T19:13+00:00

Marine Link: Plaquemines Port and APM Terminals Ink Operating Agreement

A Letter of Intent has been written by and between the Port of Plaquemines and APM Terminals (Maersk) for the operation of their Container Terminal and Intermodal Rail Facility. This has been expected, and it's great to see that it's now in effect.

Something new from the article:

Phase One of construction is expected to last two years and will deliver the capability to handle 22,000-TEU class vessels with the ability to expand capacity as needed.

That's a damn big ship. For scale, old Panamax ships can carry 5,000 TEUs, and New Panamax can carry 13,000 TEUs. 22,000 TEU freighters have been called "mega-ships" and normally do the largest transoceanic routes.

Also...
Fox2: Plans to move forward with new shipping port in Jefferson County

A major announcement for those involved with a signed letter of intent to launch the new transportation system was welcome news to Jefferson County Port Authority President Derrick Good.

“American Patriot Holdings and Port of Plaquemines have been working really hard to shore up all of their important partners, and this is a big one,” Good said. “APM is a world leader in container ports and operations. It makes things that much more real, and it’s just another huge step towards bringing a container port to Jefferson county.”

Forever_Lou · PostNov 19, 2021#2842021-11-19T20:00+00:00

https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/fox-2-gets-exclusive-look-at-cargo-shipping-at-st-louis-airport/

gone corporate · PostDec 17, 2021#2852021-12-17T20:14+00:00

Merry Christmas!

STL Biz Journal: Developers back new Mississippi River cargo port that could make St. Louis a container shipping hub

A developer has signed on to build a new cargo port on more than 300 acres in Jefferson County that will handle container ships coming up the Mississippi River, a move years in the making that could help alleviate supply chain challenges at clogged coastal ports.

Hawtex Development Corp., a development and consulting firm with operations in Texas and Hawaii, will serve as lead developer for a new state-of-the-art "container-on-vessel" port to be located in Herculaneum, about 35 miles south of St. Louis, to import and export cargo on shipping containers.

The port, which is projected to open by the fourth quarter of 2024, is to be built in collaboration with Maryland Heights-based developer Fred Weber Inc. and its Riverview Commerce Park, a a business park that already markets a cargo transloading facility along the river with direct rail and interstate access. The project will also integrate 300-plus acres adjacent to Riverview owned by the Doe Run Company, St. Louis-based metals firm.

Developers and officials said the new port will be a critical link in the development of a new cargo shipping route up the lower Mississippi River from the Gulf Coast, connecting the St. Louis region and eventually destinations worldwide. Partners on the project include Jefferson County, the Jefferson County Port Authority, Bi-State Development, American Patriot Holdings LLC/American Patriot Container Transport LLC and APM Terminals.

RockChalkSTL · PostDec 17, 2021#2862021-12-17T20:39+00:00

This could be such an incredible thing for the region.

Jefferson County has to be pretty pleased about this. I wonder if we might see some big growth down there in the years ahead.

addxb2 · PostDec 17, 2021#2872021-12-17T22:26+00:00

Any idea what a facility like this would employ? Are we talking a few hundred or a few thousand?

RockChalkSTL · PostDec 17, 2021#2882021-12-17T22:36+00:00

If this is going to be a game-changer for freight across not only St. Louis or even the Midwest, but the entire country, I can't see how it wouldn't grow to thousands.

goat314 · PostDec 18, 2021#2892021-12-18T02:42+00:00

KansasCitian wrote: ↑
Dec 17, 2021
If this is going to be a game-changer for freight across not only St. Louis or even the Midwest, but the entire country, I can't see how it wouldn't grow to thousands.

Yes, this a very big deal to have container ships on the Mississippi. Obviously the port will employ a lot of people, but I'd assume the ancillary development will be even greater. Could also be a major boon for warehouse and light manufacturing in the region. This could definitely be a game changer for the regional economy. Anybody who has ever lived in a city with a container shipyard can attest that it becomes a major part of the local economy and a driver of development. I wish it could be a little closer to the core of the region, but it's presence will definitely drive growth region wide. The warehouses lining I-55 may be a sight to see.

JaneJacobsGhost · PostDec 18, 2021#2902021-12-18T22:25+00:00

gone corporate wrote: ↑
Nov 16, 2021
^ You GDMF right, Fox2! Awesome link, @SeattleNative.

Q: Are there any good places to build industrial parks near Herculaneum/Crystal City, or does the topography consist of too many rolling hills?

Not really. But there’s great access to 55 from the site to truck containers up to the proposed warehouse development just on the other side of the JB bridge.

You could also probably develop warehouses along the Sandy Creek creek bottom without much blasting work required. I wouldn’t want to see it though. Jefferson County is really quite beautiful and I’d hate to see that destroyed with warehouses. Put em all in the massive Illinois floodplain

Ebsy · PostDec 19, 2021#2912021-12-19T04:10+00:00

Referring to Doe Run as a "metals company" is a nice little touch by the Business Journal.

symphonicpoet · PostDec 19, 2021#2922021-12-19T06:52+00:00

^That's not inaccurate. They're just a bit . . . heavier than most. Next you're going to tell me Olin Brass isn't a metals company either, just because they tend to have specific uses for their metal products. (They might well still have some demand for Doe Run's offerings, come to think of it.) But let's hope they can get the lead out of this project and get moving, because I'm plum(b) out of jokes.

gone corporate · PostDec 20, 2021#2932021-12-20T19:37+00:00

@goat314 I agree strongly that this will be a tremendous lure for manufacturing and warehousing to the STL region. Proximity to the new port should drive our attractiveness for companies to locate operations to the metro area, not just in JeffCo but throughout the Metro Area. I really do see this as fully transformative to the local economy and being an impetus for considerable population growth. Should STL win the Build Back Better grants to further STL as a center for advanced manufacturing, which would only further manufacturers locating here, and we could end up seeing a whole hell of a lot of growth.

PostDec 20, 2021#2942021-12-20T19:38+00:00

@JaneJacobsGhost My thoughts exactly. The near East Side is the best location for new and expanded warehousing operations. JeffCo is just to hilly for large scale warehousing developments along 55. If I had the cash, I'd start accumulating land up 255 from Columbia and the Dupo train yards all the way to Edwardsville. I wonder if Saint Clair County realizes the gold mine they have in open land right along the highway loop.

PostDec 20, 2021#2952021-12-20T19:39+00:00

STL Biz Journal: New St. Louis port bringing container ships up the Mississippi will revolutionize Midwest shipping, officials say

RockChalkSTL · PostDec 20, 2021#2962021-12-20T19:43+00:00

So, you guys make some interesting points that it may be better to see the warehouse explosion on the Illinois side of the river. I'd be all for it, as the Illinois side is flat and barren. Reminds me a lot of Kansas.

I said in a post a few days ago that perhaps this could drive some serious population growth in Jefferson County. Could it also drive some serious population growth in Metro East as well?

JeffCo population growth would be good for the region, I suppose, but it probably wouldn't excite me like Metro East population growth would. It'd be pretty fantastic to see Metro East grow rapidly with St. Louis City and inner-ring St. Louis County to help re-center the region.

PostDec 20, 2021#2972021-12-20T19:56+00:00

Another thought: How much synergy could this lead to with the Memphis and New Orleans markets?

I'd love to see Illinois and Amtrak come together to connect St. Louis with Carbondale, where trains could then go south to hit those markets.

gone corporate · PostDec 20, 2021#2982021-12-20T20:26+00:00

@KansasCitian The near East Side just presents itself to me as a wonderful location for massive warehouse development. 255 has direct access to so much underutilized land that could immediately get turned into large industrial sites. They'd receive finished goods from abroad, sort them here, and then ship them out nationwide. They'd also receive partially-finished goods for delivery to manufacturers here, which are finished here and then shipped out to their final destination locally or globally via the container hub. Also, they have a whole lot of rail yards in the East Side, Dupo up to Venice and spots in between.

Now, should this lead to warehousing and industrial development in the near East Side, we could be witness to a massive economic redevelopment of the East Side. Such development would welcome in stable labor jobs that require high school educations and training, which could further employment throughout the East Side. What could East STL look like in 20 years if manufacturing returned to the area?

RockChalkSTL · PostDec 20, 2021#2992021-12-20T20:49+00:00

All of us want to see St. Louis, MO bounce back -- and, increasingly, I believe there are signs that it will -- but I really want to see East St. Louis, IL and other inner-ring Metro East communities included in the revival. I've always thought a small East St. Louis skyline would be an incredible sight to see.

If the warehouses are going to be on the Illinois side, along the corridors you mentioned, then perhaps East St. Louis has a chance, too, however small it might be.

I really hope that Illinois has some plans with their federal infrastructure money for the spaghetti tangle of highway knot that you can find over there. East St. Louis has a disparate amount of highway for their population. It's just overkill and not needed. I haven't done enough research into the history of the area, but I'm sure the plan with those highways was to displace countless families.

ldai_phs · PostDec 20, 2021#3002021-12-20T20:57+00:00

APH wants to take containers, fill them with low cost commodities, and send them back to Asia. The surplus of existing containers exists in the Midwest, this is a way of sending them back and providing value to farmers. (As described to me by APH).

This will be more grain silos and container farms and less warehouses.

The St. Louis Regional Freightway

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