why new orleans? rail connectivity.
No other deep-water port is served by 6 Class 1 railroads except for New Orleans. Collectively, the 6 Class 1 railroads – a 132,000-mile network – tie the port community and local industries directly to every major North American market out there. This means your shipment - COFC or carload - will always be direct, on one major rail line. This avoids the time-consuming and pricier alternative of using multi-rail-line routings to reach your customers.
Compare the New Orleans 6 Class 1 railroad scenario side-by-side with other major ports’ rail connections and you can see that New Orleans has the most complete, far-reaching network of rail connections and services out there:
| Port |
Class 1 Connections |
Class 1 Connections Mileage |
COFC Service |
Carload Service |
Serviced By |
|
New Orleans
|
6
|
132,000
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
BNSF, CN, CSXT, KCS, NS, UP
|
|
Mobile
|
5
|
100,000
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
BNSF, CN, CSXT, KCS*, NS
|
|
Beaumont
|
3
|
70,000
|
No
|
Yes
|
BNSF, KCS, UP
|
|
Lake Charles
|
3
|
70,000
|
No
|
Yes
|
BNSF, KCS, UP
|
|
Port Arthur
|
3
|
70,000
|
No
|
Yes
|
BNSF, KCS, UP
|
|
Baltimore
|
2
|
43,000
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
CSXT, NS
|
|
Charleston
|
2
|
43,000
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
CSXT, NS
|
|
Gulfport
|
2
|
28,000
|
No
|
Yes
|
CSXT, KCS
|
|
Houston
|
2
|
64,000
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
BNSF, UP
|
|
Jacksonville
|
2
|
43,000
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
CSXT, NS
|
|
Miami
|
2
|
43,000
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
CSXT, NS
|
|
Norfolk
|
2
|
43,000
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
CSXT, NS
|
|
Panama City
|
2
|
43,000
|
No
|
Yes
|
CSXT, NS
|
|
Pascagoula
|
2
|
41,000
|
No
|
Yes
|
CN, CSXT
|
|
Savannah
|
2
|
43,000
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
CSXT, NS
|
|
Port Manatee
|
1
|
22,000
|
No
|
Yes
|
CSXT
|
|
Tampa
|
1
|
22,000
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
CSXT
|
| * No physical connection, done through routing via CN |
| |
Advantages of 6 Class 1 Railroads
Lower Prices
Origin/destination point may be accessible to more than 1 railroad, meaning you can price competitively over several railroads. For example, between Kansas City and New Orleans, there are 4 options in terms of railroads. Because shipments at New Orleans will always be direct on one railroad, prices are always lower than if multiple railroads are used, sometimes thousands of dollars lower. Another convenience of having more than one railroad between two points is the ability to choose which carrier is used based on railcar availability and quality rather than focusing exclusively on price.
Access to Equipment
Today, because of high demand for rail service, many of the railroads’ equipment fleets are being fully utilized. This means sometimes customers cannot get the railcars they need or cannot get them when they want. However, New Orleans lies at a strategic crossroads known as a Gateway, where 6 major railroads meet. There is a large flow of high quality railcars moving through the Gateway daily that can be utilized for shipments. This is very important, because with a competitive rail rate but no railcars available, you are dead in the water.
Faster Transit Times
The fewer the railroads in the routing, the quicker the railcar will take to get to its destination. For COFC , CN’s on-dock Memphis and Chicago trains deliver the fastest service out there, with transit times of 12 and 29 hours respectively.
Distribution to Multiple Markets Through One Port
Because New Orleans can serve every North American market out there with a direct rail connection, customers can bring their entire product line into one port and distribute accordingly. This relieves one of the logistical problems of warehousing product in multiple ports only 300 miles apart. And shipping lines can benefit from one port call instead of two in the Gulf.
So give yourself and your customers more options and bring your cargo to New Orleans. Finally, supporting this incredible network of rail connections, both via COFC and carload, is the NOPB, a nimble and flexible service provider ready to service your needs.
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