In The News

Ground breaking for truck/rail terminal

Ohio officials broke ground for a new intermodal terminal, called the cornerstone of the National Gateway, which would prepare three major rail corridors for double-stack clearance.

On Aug. 14, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, federal officials and railroad representatives broke ground for the North Baltimore, Ohio, terminal, meant to support efficient and environmentally beneficial movement of containers between rail and truck. The Northwest Ohio Terminal will be built and operated by Evansville Western Railway, a CSX affiliate.

Double-stack rail cars have been used in the United States since 1984 and stack train transportation now exists throughout North America.

The National Gateway website describes itself as an $840 million, multi-state infrastructure initiative aimed at creating a freight link between the mid-Atlantic ports and the Midwest. National Gateway is a double stack-cleared, state-of-the-art rail corridor linking the East Coast's international deepwater ports with major markets and Midwest manufacturing centers.

The National Gateway proposes preparing three major rail corridors for double-stack clearance:

I-95 corridor between North Carolina and Baltimore via Washington, D.C.; I-70/I-76 corridor between Washington, D.C., and northwest Ohio via Pittsburgh; Carolina corridor between Wilmington and Charlotte, N.C.
In Ohio, the National Gateway program is described to receive $30 million in federal funding, $30 million in state funding and a $175 million investment by CSX and its affiliates.

Public funding will be used primarily to raise the clearances under bridges and tunnels, enabling the movement of double-stack railcars. Private funding from CSX and its affiliates will be dedicated to building terminals like Northwest Ohio.

National Gateway promotes railcar freight and prioritizes upgrading bridges and tunnels. More information is available at www.nationalgateway.org/index.cfm .

www.eTrucker.com