CN, INRD to build Indianapolis intermodal terminal

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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Canadian National and the Indiana Rail Road Company (INRD) have entered into an agreement on the construction of an intermodal terminal in Indianapolis, Ind., and a plan to offer Indiana importers and exporters an all-rail option for containerized products moving to/from Asia.

CN serves the Port of Vancouver, BC, and the Port of Prince Rupert, BC, and a wide range of container shipping lines that offer scheduled service from all major Asian ports.

“CN is pleased to enter into this partnership with the Indiana Rail Road,” said Jean-Jacques Ruest, CN executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “This all-rail service will reduce transit times and improve transportation consistency for Indiana importers, making their supply chains more competitive. CN’s level-of-service agreements with the container terminal operators at Vancouver and Prince Rupert deliver superior fluidity from ship-to-rail at the ports.”

“This is a great day for Indianapolis-area importers and exporters who for years have asked for all-rail, direct west coast intermodal service to the city,” said Tom Hoback, INRD founder, president and chief executive officer. “Anyone who drives Interstate 65 between Indianapolis and Chicago knows what a bottleneck it is.”

The new Indianapolis terminal is under construction and will be located at INRD’s existing Senate Avenue Terminal, located in downtown Indianapolis, less than a mile from Lucas Oil Stadium. It will be complemented by a container yard and will start receiving empty containers June 15, 2013; an on-site agricultural products containerized export loading facility will be in service about the same time. The first import train will arrive in late June.

CN estimates containerized import goods will flow in as little as 18-20 days from port loading in Shanghai and Qingdao, China and Busan, Korea, to the INRD Senate Avenue Terminal, when using first port of call service.

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