OSWEGO: The Port of Oswego is ready for a major expansion of its rail capabilities. $2.1 million in funding just awarded from New York State will allow the Port to extend its rail line by just over half a mile. By adding the additional track, the Port will have 68 cars of storage capacity at the Oswego Intermodal Center, which is in the works at the site of the former Fitzgibbon Boiler Work property. It will also allow the Port to fill a train of up to 65 cars, double what it can now, full of grains. It’s vitally important during the three winter months when there is no ship traffic on Lake Ontario or through the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Port of Oswego Authority CEO Zelko Kirincich says, “During the wintertime when the Lake is closed, we handle it by rail and right now are rail capability is at its peak.” At the present time the Port of Oswego fills and empties it’s grain silos twice a year, but once they have more train cars to load the plan is to do this four or five times a year. It will quadruple the amount of soybeans they move from local farmers through here to markets across the globe. Kirincich tells NewsChannel 9, “The shipping costs in larger volumes means the price comes down. It’s such a low margin business that you need that volume to make it efficient.”
The Port is projecting an 80 percent increase in rail car volume which will result in new revenues and the need for them to start more second shifts for rail car handling. Besides the 5 to 10 direct jobs at the Port Kirincich says there will be many more indirect jobs like truckers and farmers. He sees it as an 18-month long project with design work by this summer and construction later in the year.
