Railroads key to industrial revitalization## Brownfields conference attendees hear benefits of rail access, like in Bethlehem.
Link to this article from today’s - Sept. 29, 2010 - The Morning Call newspaper, Allentown, PA, by Scott Kraus:
http://www.mcall.com/business/mc-allentown-brownfields-manual-092910,0,2272165.story
The presentation and article focuses on the role and benefits of Lehigh Valley Rail Management’s Beth-Intermodal terminal - but it’s been open for more like 10 years, not the 6 stated in the article. The operation is the successor to and on the site of the former Bethlehem Steel Co.'s in-plant common carrier railroad, the Philadelphia, Bethlehem & New England.
The article states that 25 to 30 per cent of industrial real estate development projects require direct rail access - but without it, the prospective company will simply ‘rule out’ the site. As a result, properties with rail access are a limited commodity.
One quo