Charlotte Getting Direct Intermodal Rail Service to Port of Wilmington
CSX is launching a new intermodal rail service between the Port of Wilmington and the railroad’s terminal in Charlotte, North Carolina, boosting the city’s status as a transportation hub, company and state officials said July 19.
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory said in a statement that the service, called the Queen City Express, will be the only direct freight rail service into the greater Charlotte area from a southeastern port.
“The introduction of this new service,” McCrory said, “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.”
Norfolk Southern also has an intermodal yard in Charlotte, but the CSX service will be the only direct one into the city, North Carolina Ports Authority Executive Director Paul Cozza said in an interview. He said all others are somehow routed and connected to other areas.
“We’ve had a bunch of customers asking for it,” Cozza said of the Queen City Express, which will begin this fall with service twice a week. “As demand grows, we’ll grow with it.”
One intermodal train will take 280 trucks off the road, according to the Ports Authority. Transit will be overnight, providing better transit times to the city, Cozza said.
