A moribund Norfolk Southern coal-hauling branch in Alabama last month hosted its first train in more than a decade.
NS coal train 702 rumbled over the revived Berry Branch, carrying Warrior steelmaking coal to export at the Port of Mobile, Ala., via the railroad’s 3-B Corridor. “Right now it is one train a week, and at full ramp up we expect up to 10 trains a week,” railroad spokeswoman Katie Byrd says.
To prepare for the resumption of service, NS performed trackwork on about 20 miles of the 25.7-mile branch, which is northwest of Birmingham. Warrior currently operates two mines in the Blue Creek coal seam and is preparing to open a massive new mine that has the capacity to produce 6 million short tons annually.
Last year NS announced that it would invest $200 million to expand capacity on the Birmingham, Ala.-Mobile 3-B Corridor to support traffic growth at the Port of Mobile. The route includes the 3-B South and North districts, which run a total of 319 miles from Mobile to Burstall, which is 19.3 miles southeast of Norris Yard on the outskirts of Birmingham. The line carries agricultural products, autos, chemicals, forest products, steel, and coal.
The 3-B Corridor improvements involve building 21 miles of new track, including passing siding projects and expansion of the yard in Wilton, Ala. Construction is already under way on some of the projects, which the railroad expects to complete between this year and 2027. Several customers have expansion projects under way as well.
What is a “short ton? is it a ton or isn’t it?
A short ton is 2,000 pounds. Some commodities use long tons (2,240 pounds) to determine weight (molten sulfur used to be one and may still be.)
And a metric tonne is 2,204.6 pounds.