NS selects Greencastle, Pa., site for intermodal facility

Norfolk Southern will construct a new intermodal terminal in Greencastle, Pa., to serve the Mid-Atlantic region, as part of the railroad's multi-state Crescent Corridor initiative to establish a high-speed intermodal freight rail route between the Gulf Coast and the Northeast. The $95-million facility, at which freight moving in containers and trailers will be transferred between train and truck, will occupy a 200-acre site adjacent to the planned Antrim Commons Business Park and is expected to open in late 2011.  

"Because of its strategic
location to key markets in the Mid-Atlantic region, the new Franklin County
terminal is vital to the success of our Crescent Corridor," said Wick Moorman,
Norfolk Southern’s chief executive officer. "We commend Gov. Ed Rendell for his
efforts to provide state funding for our intermodal terminal initiatives in
Greencastle and Philadelphia. We also want to thank Sens. Robert Casey and
Arlen Specter, and Rep. Bill Shuster for their support of a public-private partnership
with the U.S. Dept. of Transportation so that Pennsylvania will benefit from
the economic development opportunities and job growth potential of integrated
logistics hubs. We also want to express our gratitude to the rest of the
Pennsylvania and Maryland members of Congress who are supporting the Crescent
Corridor, including Roscoe Bartlett, Bob Brady, Charlie Dent, Jim Gerlach, Tim
Holden, Patrick Murphy and Todd Platts. Finally, we must recognize the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Franklin County Area
Development Corporation for their tremendous support in moving this project
forward."

Norfolk Southern’s Crescent
Corridor initiative is a multi-state network of infrastructure improvements and
other facilities intended to enhance Norfolk Southern’s 2,500-mile rail network
that supports the supply chain from the Gulf Coast and Memphis to Harrisburg,
Philadelphia and the New York metropolitan area and enable it to handle more
freight traffic faster and more reliably. The railroad is in the process of
implementing Corridor projects, including straightening curves, adding passing
tracks, improving signal systems, and building new terminals.
 
Altogether, nearly $2.5 billion in
Crescent Corridor projects have been identified, and based on the public
benefits that stand to be derived in the form of highway congestion relief, NS
plans to implement the Crescent Corridor initiative through a series of
public-private partnerships. When the Crescent Corridor initiative is fully
implemented, it is anticipated that more than one million truckloads of freight
will be absorbed from the highways to the rails annually, saving the U.S. more
than 170 million gallons of fuel per year.

When the Crescent Corridor
is fully operational, annual benefits to Pennsylvania are expected to include
nearly 700,000 long-haul trucks diverted to rail, almost 10 million gallons of
fuel saved, carbon dioxide reduction of 110,000 tons, more than $9 million in
traffic congestion savings, and avoidance of an estimated $8.5 million in
accident costs. Over the next ten years 26,000 jobs in Pennsylvania are
expected to be created or enhanced by the Crescent Corridor. Norfolk Southern
also has improvements planned for existing intermodal terminals in Harrisburg
and Philadelphia, along with $27 million in track and signal upgrades.

The proposed investment in
the Franklin County Regional Intermodal Facility will create the capacity to
handle more than 85,000 containers and trailers annually. The terminal will
utilize the latest in gate and terminal automation technology, which shortens
the waiting time for trucks entering the terminal, thereby reducing exhaust
emissions and improving truck driver productivity. Four intermodal trains daily
will serve the terminal.

Site selection was given
careful and exhaustive consideration to minimize impacts on surrounding
communities, roadway facilities, and the environment. A site near an existing
logistics park with quick access to an interstate highway was chosen so that
national and local markets would have the opportunity to benefit from the
Crescent Corridor’s state-of-the-art economic development and environmental
potential.