The West Coast labor issues provided Atlantic Coast intermodal providers with new opportunities, and the full scope may just be coming into view. When the West Coast ports, particularly the hub ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, shut down, there were few alternatives.  The labor dispute helped illustrate a point of economic geography. If the San Pedro ports are jammed or closed, what are the options? Oakland is 370 miles from the Ports of LA/LB and the next stop is over 770 miles away at the Puget Sound ports of Tacoma and Seattle. The Canadian ports of British Columbia, Prince Rupert and Vancouver are over 1,000 miles from the hub Ports of LA/LB. Considering the distances, there are relatively few inland or even north and south freight corridors off the main West Coast ports. What does this have to do with the Northeast ports? A lot. It’s no surprise that nearly all of the East Coast set box records last year. The diversion of boxes from one coast to the other is only part of the story. The real question is how will freight corridors function over the next decade? Is there something beyond hub and spoke? Considering the distances between ports on the West Coast, there is relatively few freight corridors, especially rail serviced corridors, moving West-to-East and even North-to-South. However, on the East Coast it is just the opposite. Boston to NY/NJ is just over 200 miles and that is one of the longer gaps between East Coast ports. If the hub Port NY/NJ is having problems, freight can shift to Philadelphia, Virginia, Montreal, Halifax, Boston and even Saint John, NB.  While no one port can handle the load in the event of disaster – as the super storm “Sandy” proved, all of these ports are all within easy reach and now are becoming part of a greater weave of freight transportation alternatives. The “reach” is changing. With more inland intermodal hubs, the idea that a train must be going at least 800 miles to be economically effective is shortening. The 300-mile rail haul is now a possibility as highway congestion alters costs and delivery times. The intermodal segment of rail shipping (both domestic and ocean) is building momentum. Joni Casey, president and CEO of IANA said of the 2014 results, “Intermodal performed well, despite industry-wide challenges…the first time in four years, international, domestic container, and trailer market segments all posted year-over-year growth. And volume gains were widespread geographically, with eight out of nine regions recording increases during 2014.” Last year, the Port of NY/NJ set a record with 3.3 million teus, but a far more interesting number was the 465,405 containers that moved on the Express Rail. The Express Rail connects the port to the trunk lines of the Class 1 rail carriers, Norfolk Southern, Canadian Pacific and CSX. This is not a unique situation. CN rail hub in Toronto is becoming an important hub for Canada’s Pacific Northwest ports, and East Coast ports reach into mid-America and even Southern US markets. Last year CN-CSXI signed a marketing agreement offering a five-day service for coast-to-coast intermodal traffic moving between Vancouver, B.C., and New York (Kearny, N.J.). Other key lanes include Toronto-Florida (four days) and Toronto-New York (two days). Philadelphia and the Delaware ports are using their rail system to access mid-America markets and even beyond into Mexico.  These new intermodal connections are reshaping the way we look at freight transportation services. Wide ranging ports like Boston, Baltimore, Norfolk and Philadelphia are now competitors, particularly on inbound freight. On the other hand, these ports are being connected by vessel calls and intermodal services in ways never envisioned in the traditional hub and spoke system. The new opportunities  for “port-pairs” offer intriguing intermodal solutions to unraveling North America’s twisted supply chains. As containership carriers work out their alliances and vessel rotations, having choices is important to service integrity. And the real key is intermodal links.