Philadelphia Belt Line Railroad
| Reporting mark | PBL |
|---|---|
| Locale | Philadelphia waterfront |
| Dates of operation | 1889– |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Length | 2.66 miles |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
The Philadelphia Belt Line Railroad (reporting mark PBL) owns a 2.66-mile (4.28 km) long railroad line running along the Delaware River waterfront in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was created in 1889 to allow any Philadelphia railroad to access the waterfront. The railroad, which does not operate any trains itself, is currently maintained by Conrail Shared Assets Operations and used by CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, and Canadian Pacific Railway.
The Philadelphia Belt Line Railroad is a non-operating railroad and simply exists as a real estate holding company. The trackage of the railroad is used by CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, and Canadian Pacific Railway to access the Philadelphia waterfront. PBL’s tracks are leased to Conrail Shared Assets Operations, who provides maintenance to the line. North of South Street, Conrail, which serves as a switching company for CSX and Norfolk Southern, has exclusive use of the line.
Currently, there is little activity on the Belt Line north of the Columbus Blvd. ports on the Delaware River near Southwark; however, projects are being proposed and considered that will, if put through and take action on, significantly increase the line's rail traffic, especially freight traffic. The first and most probable project is a deal being worked with Kinder Morgan to transport 100-car tanker car trains full of liquified natural gas (LNG) from western Pennsylvania to tanker ships at Tioga Marine Terminal in northern Philadelphia, which would then take the LNG down the Delaware River to ports worldwide. The next most probable project, and possibly even more significant for the line's business, is the proposed Southport in what is now the abandoned northern portion of the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Slated to begin construction soon and be completed within a few years, it will import and export immense container traffic, right next to CSX's South Philly Yard, which is located on the Belt Line. The third and least probable project is a passenger service to a proposed casino in south Philadelphia. The tram/light rail/train would run down the middle of Delaware Ave./Columbus Blvd. along the Delaware River waterfront, including a part which has been paved over from Spring Garden St. to around Allegheny Ave., where CSX's, Norfolk Southern's and Conrail's Port Richmond Yard is. Despite it being paved over, the trackage on N. Delaware Ave.'s right-of-way still exists there.
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