The number of freight trains passing through Florida could more than double after a widened Panama Canal opens. The wider canal and new shipping lane will allow massive new mega-ships to pass through in early 2016, increasing the volume of freight heading to South Florida ports.
Ports in Florida have been expanded to handle the larger ships – and the goods from those ships would be transported by train.
Some projections estimate that 24 to 28 freight trains a day will travel on railways in South Florida in the next five years compared with 8 to 11 using the railway now.