Operations have begun at the new Northwest Ohio Terminal, the cornerstone of a new double-stack freight rail corridor between East Coast sea ports such as the Port of Baltimore and the Midwest. Located near North Baltimore, Ohio, the new facility employs more than 200 full-time employees, and will serve as the transfer point for hundreds of thousands of freight containers annually.

"This is a major milestone for the National Gateway and great news for customers across CSX's rail network," said Bill Clement, vice president of intermodal, CSX Transportation. "As we bring the Northwest Ohio Terminal Facility up to full operational capacity, customers will enjoy faster and more reliable intermodal service than ever before."

CSXT will gradually transition customer shipments through the new terminal over the next few months. Once all of the transitions are complete, the Northwest Ohio facility is expected to handle a throughput capacity, including block swaps and lifts, of nearly 2 million containers per year.
The new facility has been hailed for its use of cutting-edge technologies and green design, including ultra-efficient electric cranes that lower emissions, optical scanners that reduce truck idle times and automated car tracking technologies and remote switches that increase operational efficiency.

The hub is part of the National Gateway, a public-private partnership which supports the movement of double-stacked intermodal containers on rail cars by raising bridges, increasing tunnel clearances and building new terminals along existing rail routes. When complete, the National Gateway will benefit CSXT customers by improving service reliability and transit times, reduce highway congestion, and enhance the environment by converting more than 14 billion highway miles to rail and decreasing fuel consumption by nearly 2 billion gallons.