Customer Advisory - New Orleans Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storm Hanna - Update
Tropical Depression Gustav is slowly moving north/northwest from Texarkana, Arkansas. The current five-day storm path is projected by the National Weather Service to move from Texarkana to northern Arkansas by Saturday, September 6. Areas in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi have received up to 8 inches of rainfall, in some isolated locations, as much as 19 inches. Gustav wind speeds have declined to 25 mph. A flood watch remains in effect in most of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. A tornado watch is in place in Louisiana and Mississippi.
In many locations, electric power is out of service, preventing rail carriers from re-opening facilities.
Tropical Storm Hanna is building in the southern Atlantic area. The National Weather Service predicts Hanna will reach Florida’s east coast near Jacksonville by Friday, September 5, then the storm begins to track up the east coast through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New York.
Rail Status:
BNSF:
New Orleans ramp is closed. No electric power, rail lines being inspected.
NSRR:
Norfolk Southern trains have resumed operations between Hattiesburg, MS and New Orleans following the impact of Hurricane Gustav with local yard and customer switching operations expected to follow as inspections are completed and customer operations return to normal. The Norfolk Southern has removed its embargo of New Orleans cargo effective 9/03/08.
The New Orleans gateway is open for interchange traffic between Norfolk Southern and connecting carriers; however some re-routes continue via the Memphis Gateway and will continue until connecting carriers resume operations over New Orleans.
CSX:
CSX Transportation has completed its initial inspection of track and terminals in the Gulf Coast region impacted by Hurricane Gustav.
Though no significant damage occurred to any of CSXT's bridges or terminals, 21 miles of track need repair/replacement.
Repairs to the track damage, which begins about 10 miles east of New Orleans, will require at least two weeks. As a result, a daily average of 7-10 trains will continue to be rerouted through alternative gateways at Memphis, Tenn.; Birmingham, Ala.; and East St. Louis, Ill.
Due to traffic routed over alternate gateways, some customers may experience slightly longer transit times over these temporary routes. Repairs to other isolated track damage between New Orleans and Pascagoula, Miss., and cleanup of downed trees and other debris will take about 24-48 hours.
UPRR:
Union Pacific crews are working to clear debris from rail track and set out generators to return electric power to train signal systems where power outages still exist. UPRR also working with local power companies to clear downed power lines over the railroad tracks. UPRR expects train service restored all the way to New Orleans by this evening and all train signals restored by midday on Thursday, which will further improve operations.
UPRR trains to/from the West Coast are being rerouted over Memphis and St. Louis for interchange with CSX and NSRR until the New Orleans gateway operations are fully restored.
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Should you have any questions or require assistance with regards to this advisory or your shipment needs, contact OOCL Customer Service in USA or Canada at 1-888-388-6625.
Visit us and track and trace your cargo on www.oocl.com or www.cargosmart.com
