CSX moves Carolina Connector; debuts new intermodal service

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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Office of Governor Pat McCrory

CSX put a stop to the controversy surrounding its planned Carolina Connector (CCX) intermodal facility in Johnson County, N.C., by moving the project to Rocky Mount in Edgecombe County.

The $272-million project was announced in January 2016, but ran into resistance from homeowners who would have had to sell their property via eminent domain. Moving the terminal to Rocky Mount eliminates the land acquisition hurdle, while preserving the state funding commitment to the project.

CCX will transfer containerized cargo between trains and trucks, processing more than 260,000 containers per year initially. Building the facility is expected to create 250 to 300 short-term jobs in engineering, technical services and construction. Conservative estimates indicate that the hub is expected to create 1,500 jobs throughout North Carolina as a result of the terminal’s operations.

“This historic project is part of our 25-year vision for transportation because it facilitates efficient and cost-effective movement of goods, which is critical for job creation and economic growth,” said North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory. “The Carolina Connector will be a game-changer for our state’s economy, supporting North Carolina’s agriculture, ports and position as the Southeast’s No. 1 state for manufacturing jobs.”

CSX will invest $160 million in the project and North Carolina’s Transportation Department will contribute $100 million for track improvements, as well as terminal infrastructure through the state’s new transportation funding formula.

The hub, expected to open in 2020, and related track improvements are expected to take two years to construct once all necessary environmental permits are obtained. Carolinas Gateway Partnership, the local economic development organization, controls nearly all of the land needed for the facility, which is located along CSX’s main rail line in a primarily industrial area.

In North Carolina, CSX maintains an intermodal terminal in Charlotte, bulk transfer terminals in Charlotte, Raleigh, Wilmington and Winston-Salem and major rail yards in Hamlet and Rocky Mount.

In related news, the railroad will begin new Queen City Express intermodal service between the Port of Wilmington and its intermodal terminal in Charlotte.

“The Queen City Express will be the only direct freight rail service into the Greater Charlotte area from a port in the Southeast,” Gov. McCrory said. “The introduction of this new service will facilitate the efficient, cost-effective movement of goods between the global marketplace and one of the most significant economic centers in the southeastern United States.”

CSX will eventually provide direct access from the Port of Wilmington to CCX. Gov. MCrory’s said in a statement that CCX, along with the Queen City Express, would lower transportation costs for businesses while reducing congestion and wear and tear on the state’s highways, as well as improving safety and air quality.

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