ODESSA, Texas — Trains are crossing through the Permian Basin everyday. That is because railroads play an important role for the state of Texas. But what if there was an inland port in Odessa?
It’s basically a train station that businesses, big and small, would have access to and make transporting goods more efficient.
That’s something the Odessa Development Corporation has been discussing.
“What that means for our community and our citizens is we would have a rail to truck port, put in where our, our companies, our vendors, our manufacturers, our distributors have a way to bring goods in from literally all over the world via rail and then those items be offloaded onto truck to be transported really, throughout our country,” said Kris Crow, president of the Odessa Development Corporation.
Crow said an inland port would benefit not just businesses but also the consumer, as well.
“We're not far from Sweetwater, [Texas], where we have a huge wind turbine farm. And so just the cost to bring one of those wind turbine blades up from Houston to this area runs about $100,000 by truck," Crow said. "And so what we've been told is by rail, the cost of that would be a fraction. And so that's just one example of things that can be done to bring goods and mass quantity in by rail is less expensive to bring in by truck."
However, what about the memorandum of understanding? Well, it’s more of a good faith agreement.
“The best example of that memorandum of understanding would probably be if I could, would you?" Crow said. "The company is saying if we could come in and purchase land, if we come in and invest dollars in the form of taxable capital investment in expanding rail and then putting in new buildings and putting in equipment, you know, would the Odessa development corporation, be willing to give us a grant to help get this project going and be successful."
Crow said the ODC would be in favor of an inland port because of the positive impact it would have on the Permian Basin.