Florida East Coast posts progress on Port Everglades' new container facility

Port Everglades yesterday announced that Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) is installing tracks and crane pads for the new Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) that's slated to open this summer.

In addition, buildings are under construction and the road to the 43-acre facility in Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Fla., is ready to be paved, port officials said in a press release.

The $73 million near-dock rail facility is being built in the Southport containerized cargo area that will be used to transfer domestic and international containers between ship and rail. The ICTF will replace FEC’s 12-acre intermodal yard that's located several miles from the port in Fort Lauderdale.

The ICTF will enable FEC to build 9,000-foot unit trains within the port without blocking any city streets, port officials said. Containers will be moved to and from Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C., in two days, and to and from Nashville and Memphis, Tenn., in three days.

"FEC’s connections to CSX and Norfolk Southern allow for rail service to 70 percent of the U.S. population within four days," port officials said.

The port contributed land valued at $20 million for the ICTF. The $53 million project is being funded with a $30 million loan and $18 million grant from the Florida Department of Transportation, and $5 million from FEC.