January/February 2014
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The Port of Baltimore
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BATA Marine, Inc.
Securing the Port…
Line handling and Security
Office:
410-808-1050
Fax:
410-569-5342
Email:
website:
24 HOUR OPERATION
BONDED AND INSURED
is owned by the Maryland Transportation
Authority, but it is run like any other
private, for-profit company.
And it’s a growing company. Recently,
the railroad began operating seven days
a week. The change is largely due to
increased crude oil shipments for APEX
Oil, which handles crude from North
American shale formations in Canada.
The crude is shipped via rail from
Canada to Baltimore, where it is loaded
onto barges bound for refineries in New
Jersey, a state lacking the rail capacity to
receive the shipment directly.
One of the biggest challenges the
century-old company faces is operating in
an urban area that’s attracted a growing
population of new residents.
“People coming into the area are not
familiar with trains and train crossings,”
Magness said, adding that he has had
to explain to callers that whistle blowing
is required by law. The company works
closely with Jim Kraft, the Baltimore City
Council representative, and has agreed
to some cosmetic improvements when
possible.
“We try to figure out solutions and
work with the city,” Magness said, point-
ing out ideas such as the flashing lights
on Boston Street that highlight a detour
when a train is blocking the road.
A similar challenge is adapting
today’s freight needs to a sometimes
antiquated railroad infrastructure. “Some
of these tunnels were built in the 1800s,
and nobody believed then that rail cars
would be 80 feet long,” Magness said.
One area where trains have adapted
well to modern life is their significant
savings in emissions. It takes four trucks
to move one railcar’s worth of cargo, so
a 20-car train hauled by one engine is
doing the work of 80 trucks. Magness
notes that Canton has been testing fuel
additives as well, to see if it can reduce
emissions even further.
The little railroad that could also can
meet customers’ needs.
“There are a lot of small railroads,
and we tend to be a little more flexible
in service than the larger railroads,”
Magness said. “The larger railroads
serve many ports, and there’s only one
port we care about, and that’s the Port
of Baltimore.”
