NS breaks ground on Charlotte Regional Intermodal Facility

Written by jrood

Norfolk Southern broke ground on the Charlotte Regional Intermodal Facility at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The facility, which will transfer trailers and containers between trucks and trains, will be capable of 200,000 lifts per year and will replace Norfolk Southern's existing intermodal facility in downtown Charlotte.

“Charlotte is a key hub on the Norfolk Southern intermodal system and on our Crescent Corridor, a new rail intermodal network under development stretching from New Jersey to Memphis and New Orleans,” said Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman. “This facility will greatly expand our ability to handle intermodal traffic and move more freight off the nation’s overburdened highway system and onto the rails.

“Today’s groundbreaking is a big deal for the city of Charlotte and our community,” said Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx. “Norfolk Southern Corporation and the city of Charlotte have been working on this agreement since it was envisioned 15 years ago by the Airport and Charlotte businesses. This intermodal facility is projected to bring billions in business and places Charlotte even more in the manufacturing, distribution, transportation and economic growth business.”

Because its existing 40-acre facility cannot be expanded, Norfolk Southern is building a more efficient, easily expandable, 200-acre terminal between two runways to handle the anticipated growth of intermodal traffic. A new interchange on I-485 that has just been completed will connect the facility to the region’s highway system.

The $92-million facility will be constructed with the assistance of $15.7 million in federal funds and some financial support from the state of North Carolina. The Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the city of Charlotte provided extensive help in planning the facility. Construction is expected to be completed in late 2013.

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