Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Charlotte,North Carolina Leads Way with Freight Intermodal Facility at Airport. Will We See a Similar One for Passengers?

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/norfolk-southerns-new-charlotte-regional-intermodal-facility-will-support-growing-rail-traffic-and-less-crowded-highways-149840725.html

Charlotte is leading the way in an intermodal freight facility at Charlotte Douglas Airport (CLT).  The facility will enable transfers of freight containers between ocean-going, rail, and highway modes.  It isn't clear how the facility will interface with the airport and airlines and what security measures such as known shippers and TSA requirements will be dealt with.   Additionally, little has been said about CLT's dependence on highway transportation access for passengers.  As of yet there is no integrated light rail, regional North Carolina Rail norAmtrak facility at the airport.  Charlotte is only served with four Amtrak trains north-south per day, and two of them, the South and North bound Crescent Limited  - and the only rail passenger link to Atlanta pass through Charlotte in the wee hours of the morning.   CLT is also burdened by a near monopoly on the part of US Airways and its outsourced "regional" subsidiaries with astronomical fares - this extends to regional flights such as from Raleigh to Atlanta or Chattanooga via the CLT hub.

1 comment:

  1. Don't count on it. As long as we, the public, act like sheep, the more abuse we'll get from America's anything-for-a-buck airlines. A big contrast with non-U.S. competitors.

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