Plans for Erie Rail Terminal revealed

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor

The Greater Erie Industrial Development Corporation (GEIDC) has plans for a new intermodal facility in Harborcreek Township, Erie County, Pa.

 

The Erie Rail Terminal is being developed by GEIDC and private investor-operators to provide new intermodal rail service to the Erie Region. The developers are working with CSX on terminal design and service.

The terminal is located in Harborcreek Township, just east of the city of Erie. This long, flat and narrow site will provide 4,000 feet of frontage on the CSX mainline track and easy access to U.S. Route 20 and PA Route 955. The project would develop mostly vacant and underutilized land, bounded by the currently operating CSX mainline. The CSX line operates between New York and Chicago and connects to the Northwest Ohio Intermodal Terminal.

The project will generate hundreds of construction jobs. Once operational, the facility will support approximately 40 on-site jobs, 40 drayage jobs and 100 indirect jobs throughout the region as a result of improved transportation access and distribution opportunities for local and regional businesses.

“The Erie Rail Terminal is our interchange on that highway, bringing the Erie Region’s businesses new efficiencies and trade opportunities,” said John Elliott, president and CEO of GEIDC. “CSX’s involvement in the intermodal terminal will help open our region to global markets and have an immediate positive impact on the Erie County Region. When completed, this critical element of infrastructure will also benefit businesses throughout our region in helping expedite the shipment and delivery of goods and materials.”

Terminal design and permitting is underway, with construction beginning in the fall of 2014. The Erie Rail Terminal will be open for business in early 2016.

 

 

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