A Timeline of Inland Ports

The opening in 1989 of the Virginia Inland Port in Front Royal marked the beginning of a concerted effort by port operators and railroads to create intermodal transfer facilities to handle freight going into and out of land-constrained ports. The inland port has also become a prime location for light manufacturing and distribution.

Over the years, 47 companies have moved into the area to take advantage of the inland port, and those firms have invested more than $950 million in plant and equipment and have created more than 8,500 jobs, port spokesman Jay Stecher told Transport Topics.

Based on that success, the number of inland port projects has grown considerably during the past decade. Here’s a rundown of some major completed projects and proposed new facilities: