Port aims to grow Cold Train with $30 million grant

QUINCY - The Port of Quincy is asking the federal government for a $30 million grant to expand its rail, loading and unloading areas at the Cold Train facility.

The Cold Train is a refrigerated intermodal service that ships produce from the Port of Quincy to the Port of Chicago.

The port expects to know if it was selected by the end of the year, said Curt Morris, the Port of Quincy's Board of Commission President.

He described the competition as "extremely competitive," with applicants from across the country wanting the $30 million pool of stimulus funds provided by the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant.

At one point, he estimated there were $14 billion in requests.

An unknown portion of the money is designated for rural areas.

The money is awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation and doesn't have to be repaid.

But providing local matching funds helps the port's score on its grant application, he said.

The Port of Quincy's chances are "remote, but how do you know if you don't try?" he asked.

"We have great support from everyone," he said.

Local businesses, federal and state legislators, school district and fire officials were among those writing letters supporting the project. There was a total of 32 letters in favor of the rail improvements.

The port has a good story to tell, Morris said.

"It would go a long ways for Quincy."

The grant funds would allow the port to go for more distribution type warehousing and containerized traffic on the main rail line.

If the port landed a decent sized distribution center, more property would be used. The port would use the grant to purchase more property, he said. 

It is the third round for applicants wanting TIGER stimulus funds.

The selected projects must generate jobs.

"Our story is that Cold Train has grown by hundreds of percents," he said. "We are moving more and more containers all the time."

The service benefits the agricultural community shipping products to the Midwest and businesses sending products to the Northwest.

The port's goal is to ship 15,000 loaded containers annually.

Cold Train shipped 5,000 containers its first year of operations.

"We could do 15,000, but to expand beyond that, we would need room, a loading area and rail," he commented.

The port is planning for the future.

"Our goal is to stay out in front of everything," Morris said. "If you wait until you need it, it's too late. The biggest reason we've been successful in a little town is by getting the infrastructure out there."