Ports of Indiana Receives Large Federal Grant for Rail Yard and Rail Transload facility at Mount Vernon Port
Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
File photo
MOUNT VERNON, Ind. – The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced last week that a federal grant of $11,249,000 was awarded to the Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon so the Ports can begin building a $16 million rail yard and transload facility.
According to Ports of Indiana CEO Jody Peacock, “This is the largest federal grant in Ports of Indiana history and it will have far-reaching impacts thoughout the Southwest Indiana economy. We are extremely grateful to MARAD and our Indiana officials for supporting this effort. Once completed, this project could double our port’s rail capacity and create a major transload hub that connects throughout the U.S. on four Class I railroads.”
One of 31 Port Infrastructure Development Program awards by the U.S. Department of Transportation –– Maritime Administration in 15 states and one U.S. territory, the transload facility and rail yard will occupy 30 acres along State Road 62 within the Mount Vernon port. When combined with the remaining 30 federal grants, the total spend is about $580 million.
The Mount Vernon facility will have 13,000 feet of track for railcar switching and 7,000 feet of track that will facilitate cargo transfers between truck and rail. The port is located near the midpoint of the U.S. population and has 600 additional acres for development. The port recently contracted with OmniTRAX to provide rail switching. The port currently handles 7 million tons of cargo and 40,000 railcars, and its operations support 8,200 jobs, with an economic impact of $1.6 billion a year.
Jason May, the port director for Ports of Indiana –– Mount Vernon said “This is a major milestone for our organization and a transformative step for the Mount Vernon community. This investment will create new rail opportunities for local businesses and lead to long-term economic growth and a positive impact across our region.”
Additional benefits of the grant for the Mount Vernon facility include the purchase and installation of a new truck scale and scale house, truck marshaling areas, facility lighting, and security improvements for the transload operations. The project will include the installation of approximately 20,000 feet of rail track, five new rail-truck transload zones, and a multipurpose cargo storage yard, and more than five acres of new paved roadways to link the transload facilities.
