A formal groundbreaking ceremony took place at the U.S. Army's Fort Drum installation in northwestern New York State earlier in September, marking the beginning of the construction on $31.5 million in improvements to the military railhead found at the base.
The project is being built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) with the goal of enhancing the ability of military personnel to deploy more quickly and safely, according to a news release from the Army's engineering branch.
USACE New York District Deputy Commander Col. Matthew Pride spoke to the groundbreaking's audience of U.S. Army officers, soldiers, engineers and Corps personnel stationed at Fort Drum.
"The importance of this project cannot be underestimated," he remarked. "The new railhead will facilitate the ability to project power around the world more quickly and safely. All aspects of the new railhead are being built for a 40-plus-year design life serving Fort Drum well into the mid-21st century."
Expected to be complete in late 2023, the upgrades will benefit the Army's 10th Mountain Division ─ a joint team of specially trained U.S. soldiers and air personnel performing operations in rugged, mountainous terrain, and stationed at Fort Drum.
Reactivated in 1985 as one of the Army's new light-infantry divisions, its special capabilities enable a wide range of global missions, adding a new dimension to the strategic mobility of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Modern Military Railhead
When the Fort Drum project is finished and operational next year, some of its new features will include:
- A mile of new railroad track, along with four parallel tracks and five new loading ramps, to allow for simultaneous drive-on loading of rolling stock.
- A container-side loading area, a capability the current railhead lacks.
- A 5,000-sq. ft.-railhead operations building offering restrooms and space for 100 soldiers to use as a break area from deployment operations, especially important during harsh weather.
- A scale house with a weigh-in motion and profiling system to hasten loading operations.
- A marshalling yard where railway cars are separated onto different tracks.
- An alert holding area, or control area, for equipment and vehicles prior to loading.
- A container-handling and storage/repair facility with a staging area.
Safety is Priority One at Fort Drum's Railhead
The USACE noted that safe rail operations are crucial to any successful deployment and require advance planning and training.
To that end, a Fort Drum safety officer and non-commissioned officer (an enlisted soldier with specific skills and duties) will be on hand to oversee operations. That is critical, the Corps of Engineers explained, as a great deal of labor is needed to lift/move heavy equipment, and hazards do exist, especially during adverse weather conditions. Safeguards must be in place to reduce the risk of accidents and injuries.
The U.S. Army has experienced issues at railheads in recent years that lacked the latest improvements to its facilities, according to the USACE news release.
For example, a January 2019 peacetime deployment illustrated that very point when soldiers with the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, were launching load operations for deployment to the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, La., when unusual weather conditions for the Deep South set in. Three feet of snow, blizzard conditions, and wind chills of minus 30 degrees hampered operations and created dangerous conditions for soldiers handling heavy equipment.
A local news story published shortly thereafter recounted the Army's difficulties:
"On top of everything, we had a problem with guys staying warm," said Sgt. 1st Class Charles Kohut, platoon sergeant for 3rd Platoon, D Company, 1-87 Infantry. "They're on top of those trucks in minus-degree winds, gloves getting soaked from snow and ice. We had to rotate them out to get warm for three to five minutes before they had to come back. The closest building for them to get warm in was a little less than a mile walk."
Fort Drum is situated close to the Canadian border where harsh winters are common. The military installation is a sprawling facility encompassing 107,000 acres, employing 4,700 civilians, and training some 80,000 troops each year with nearly 20,000 Army soldiers and their families stationed there.
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