Authority OKs agreement allowing ExpressRail Port Jersey facility

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's (PANYNJ) board last week approved a pact to allow construction of a major ship-to-rail facility adjacent to the Global Container Terminal (GCT) Bayonne Bridge, a project that would complete the agency’s $600 million effort to provide all of its major marine terminals with direct access to rail.

Under a lease agreement with GCT USA, the terminal operator agreed to complete the final design and build the new ExpressRail Port Jersey facility in Greenville Yard. The pact calls for PANYNJ to reimburse GCT up to $56 million for the facility's construction costs, authority officials said in a press release.

The project, along with other ExpressRail projects in the harbor, is contingent on continued funding provided by a per-container fee assessed on cargo shipped through the PANYNJ to cover road, rail and security infrastructure costs.

Once the ExpressRail facility opens in 2018, GCT will be responsible for the facility operation and maintenance, officials said.

"Given the highly competitive nature of the port business, it's critical that we invest in projects that will allow for the efficient, more environmentally sustainable movement of freight and goods throughout the region," said PANYNJ Chairman John Degnan. "The project will allow us to maintain our competitive edge and cement our position as the East Coast's premier destination for international cargo."