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CSX: Haven ILC Will Nearly Double Train Traffic Through Downtown Lakeland

Posted Apr 2, 2007 by Billy Townsend

Updated Apr 2, 2007 at 03:36 PM

This will probably spark some discussion.

CSX expects its new “integrated logistics center” in Winter Haven to add 7 or 8 freight trains per day to the 8-12 that currently pass through downtown Lakeland. That’s according to CSX spokesman Gary Sease.

It’s also twice as many as the 3-4 trains per day talked about recently during a meeting of the East Polk Committee of 100.

And, as Sease notes, CSX plans for the ILC to grow with Florida. So the 7-8 new trains per day is in no way a cap.

Sease said freight trains are typically 60-90 cars long, but that there are no standardized numbers for them.

It’s not just the ILC that’s driving the projected train traffic. CSX is generally reorganizing the its freight flow in Florida by transferring most freight traffic from its main east coast line – the A-line – to a more central line – the S-line. Those two lines essentially merge between Lakeland and Auburndale.

That move frees up the A-line for commuter rail through the Orlando area, assuming a deal with the state goes through.

As part of that deal, the state will help CSX upgrade its S-line.

Sease offered those upgrades as consolation for Lakelanders concerned about the substantial increase in train traffic through the heart of town. He said they will help train traffic move more “fluidly” and avoid blocking crossings.