March 2015 volumes also compared favorably to the same month in the previous year. The port handled 484,339 TEUs in March 2014, creating a 15.5 percent boost from this perspective. Port officials say these gains were driven largely by import loads, which rose 23 percent year-over-year to 287,777 TEUs, and export empties, up 28.6 percent year-over-year to 145,436 TEUs.
ExpressRail also set a record. The Port Authority’s ship-to-rail conveyance serving New York and New Jersey marine terminals handled 46,148 lifts in March 2015, a 10.4 percent increase over the same month in the previous year and an all time record for
the system. ExpressRail volumes continue to grow with 2014 logging 465,405 lifts overall, a 9.3 percent increase over total lifts logged for 2013.
The Port Authority’s investment of more than $600 million in ExpressRail includes upcoming plans to build a new ExpressRail facility in Greenville Yard in Jersey City. Thus far, the system has distinguished itself as a major catalyst for improving port efficiency, increasing the port’s competitive position, and reducing its environmental footprint.