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NC Ports, CSX Commence New Intermodal Service

[ July 21, 2017   //   ]

North Carolina Ports Authority and CSX will commence daily, intermodal rail service between Wilmington and Charlotte, effective July 28.

The new double-stack service, dubbed the Queen City Express, marks the official return of intermodal rail to North Carolina Ports. It will traverse the existing CSX Class I network between the Port of Wilmington and CSX’s intermodal terminal in Charlotte, NC.

“The Queen City Express will be the only direct freight rail service into the Greater Charlotte area from a port in North Carolina,” said Governor Pat McCrory during a ceremony marking the service.  “The introduction of this new service will facilitate the efficient, cost-effective movement of goods between the global marketplace and one of the most significant economic centers in the southeastern United States.”

According to port officials, the Queen City Express is one of the fastest and most direct rail services into and out of the Greater Charlotte region from a port in the US Southeast. The train also provides connectivity for each and every container service currently calling on the Port of Wilmington.

“This service, dovetailed with the investment that CSX is making in Rocky Mount (NC), is a testament to our dedication to the State of North Carolina and North Carolina Ports,” said Dean Piacente, vice president of CSX Intermodal. “In addition to the connection to Charlotte, CSX will also provide future access to a transformational, state-of-the-art intermodal rail terminal in Eastern North Carolina – the Carolina Connector.”

CSX will eventually provide direct access from the Port of Wilmington to the Carolina Connector intermodal terminal (CCX) in Edgecombe County. The CCX, announced last summer in Rocky Mount, will serve as a key transportation hub in the Southeast for containerized freight. CCX, along with the Queen City Express, aims at lowering transportation costs for businesses while taking trucks off the road.

According to a recent North Carolina Ports survey, 90 percent of customers need intermodal service. The Port of Wilmington continues to see growth in containers and infrastructure, and recently welcomed its largest-ever container ship. To further expand the port’s capabilities, the North Carolina State Ports Authority is moving forward with a $100 million investment in infrastructure improvements including new cranes, an enhanced berth and a wider turning basin, with further expansion on the way.

North Carolina Ports has recently announced the activation of four new container services, setting the Port of Wilmington up for unprecedented growth in this fiscal year.

 

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