Charleston railroad seeks outside help for federal funding of Navy base, Volvo projects
David Wren — The Post and Courier
With all of its federal permits now in hand, Palmetto Railways has hired a Washington, D.C., lobbyist to help secure federal funding for a rail yard linked to a new container terminal under construction in North Charleston.
The Charleston-based, short-line railroad, a division of the state’s Commerce Department, recently hired Cassidy & Associates Inc., which calls itself a bi-partisan government relations firm, according to a federal lobbying registration form filed last week.
The firm will be paid $50,000 over a six-month period and will also focus on finding money for a rail link to be built at the Volvo Cars manufacturing campus near Ridgeville.
“The scale of these significant infrastructure projects, both of which have statewide impact, has created the need for Palmetto Railways to seek federal funding,” said Jeff McWhorter, the railroad’s president and CEO. “This is the first time Palmetto Railways has sought outside assistance to support our ongoing effort to seek funding for these important projects.”
Palmetto Railways last week received approval from the Federal Railroad Administration for construction of the North Charleston rail yard, where cargo containers will be transferred between trucks and rail cars as they are hauled to and from the nearby Leatherman Terminal to be operated by the State Ports Authority on the city’s former Navy base.
The Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit in September for the project, officially known as the Navy Base Intermodal Container Transfer Facility.
While the rail yard is designed to reduce the number of trucks hauling cargo over highways, municipalities have expressed concerns over local and emergency traffic tie-ups at railroad crossings. The project “continues to prompt significant concerns,” Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg told the Army Corps in a letter.
Palmetto Railways has proposed paying for an analysis to examine conditions at crossings and identify potential improvements.
