National Gateway hub showcases environmental commitment

February 14, 2001 Cutting-edge environmental technologies and green design will make the Northwest Ohio Terminal Facility, a new freight transit hub under construction in North Baltimore, Ohio, one of the most environmentally friendly and technologically advanced freight terminals in the country.

Upon its completion in
2011, the facility will be the cornerstone of the National Gateway, an $842-million,
multi-state public-private partnership that will create a double stack rail
corridor between Mid-Atlantic ports and Midwestern markets.

"The Northwest Ohio
Terminal Facility will set a new standard for the American railroad industry,"
said Guenter Bischof, managing director, Hans Kuenz GmbH, supplier of
ultra-efficient cranes for the terminal. "Equipment choices and advanced
technologies combine to increase this facility’s productivity and reduce its
environment impact."

Ultra-efficient cranes
installed by Hans Kuenz GmbH will reduce energy consumption, improve efficiency
and significantly reduce emissions. When transferring cargo containers between
trains and trucks, the cranes will use electric motors to reduce emissions and
will store the energy from crane, trolley and hoist decelerations.

Use of optical cargo
scanners at inbound and outbound gates will improve terminal efficiency and
minimize truck idle time to reduce emissions. Scanners at both ends of the
Northwest Ohio Terminal Facility will feed container information into the
operations system to automatically provide a work order to the trucker. The
terminal will be lit with high-pressure sodium bulbs, which reduce energy
consumption and light pollution. The yard will also utilize environmentally
friendly NARSTCO Steel Ties, which are made from recycled steel and are
themselves 100 percent recyclable.

"The Northwest Ohio
Terminal Facility will exemplify a commitment to environmental stewardship and
serve as a catalyst for future economic development opportunities in the
surrounding regions," said Thomas R. Blaha, Executive Director of the local
Wood County, Ohio, Economic Development Commission.

The National Gateway will
support the movement of double-stacked intermodal containers on rail cars by
raising bridges, increasing tunnel clearances and building new terminal
facilities along existing rail routes. New terminals such as the Northwest Ohio
Terminal Facility will expand intermodal services to connect more markets than
ever before. When complete, the National Gateway will also improve service
reliability and transit times by 24 to 48 hours between coastal ports.