Rail Terminal Will Make Hawleyville A Hub

By Andrew Gorosko

The state Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded Housatonic Railroad a grant which will cover the majority of costs for constructing a Hawleyville rail freight terminal for handling food commodities.

The DOT will pay $385,000 of the costs toward constructing the bulk transfer freight terminal, according to DOT Commissioner James F. Sullivan. The grant represents 70 percent of the cost of the project. The railroad will provide the remaining 30 percent of project costs.

The DOT awarded the grant as part of its continuing effort to lessen traffic congestion in the Interstate 95 corridor.

 “The location of the terminal will provide very efficient access into all markets in western Connecticut, including all major cities in Fairfield County, yet will not rely on I-95 for the delivery of product,” Mr Sullivan said in a statement.

Edward Rodriguez, executive vice president of the railroad, said Wednesday the firm plans to start construction on the terminal in late summer and complete it by late fall. Work will involve laying about 2,400 feet of new track in the form of a rail siding where up to 40 rail cars will be parked for unloading, he said. Paving will be done and a truck scale will be installed, he said. A scale house may be built, he added.

Mr Rodriguez said he expects a majority of the rail terminal’s business will involve truck shipments of food commodities from the rail terminal to customers within a 35-mile radius.

Housatonic Railroad operates a north-south line, known as the Berkshire Line, between Pittsfield, Mass., and Danbury. It also operates an east-west line, known as the Maybrook Line, between Derby and Beacon, N.Y. The railroad currently operates a lumber reloading terminal in Hawleyville.

Locating a food commodities rail freight terminal in Fairfield County will provide many small and larger businesses, which do not have direct rail connections, with competitive access to a wider range of commodities and strengthen their positions in highly competitive markets, according to DOT.

“The Hawleyville Transload Terminal represents an important first step in a cooperative effort by the [DOT] and the Housatonic Railroad Company to convert many tons of freight, that currently enters the state by truck, to rail,” Mr Sullivan said.

Rail track storage for an additional 100 loaded rail cars will be available in Botsford, Mr Rodriguez said. Such loaded cars would be eventually unloaded at the Hawleyville terminal.

Products to be handled at the new facility include items such as flour, food oils, corn syrup, fructose, plastic pellets, and possibly some grains. Food-grade commodities support many regional businesses which manufacture beverages, beverage containers, bakery products, and products which include flours and sweeteners.

Housatonic Railroad has worked with CSX, a national rail carrier, in developing a market strategy for the freight terminal, according to DOT.

Many of the food commodities to be shipped into the freight terminal originate in areas such as the Gulf coast, the South, and the upper Midwest, all of which are served by CSX rail freight.

With the creation of the rail terminal in Hawleyville, Housatonic Railroad will offer an alternative facility to freight terminals located along I-95 in New York and New Jersey, according to DOT.