CSX, NC Ports set new stack train service
Written by Railway Age StaffNorth Carolina Ports and CSX announced a new daily intermodal service between the Port of Wilmington and Charlotte, beginning July 28.
The double stack Queen City Express marks the official return of intermodal rail to its facilities, the North Carolina State Ports Authority said.
“The Queen City Express provides premier rail service over competing ports for existing and future container customers in one of the most significant economic centers in the Southeastern United States,” said Executive Director Paul J. Cozza. “In addition, further establishing our inland terminal helps answer the request of many cargo owners asking for improved connectivity to international markets.”
The scheduled service offers the availability of containers at the Charlotte Intermodal Terminal (CIT) owned by North Carolina Ports. The train also provides connectivity for all ocean container services currently calling Wilmington.
“This service, dovetailed with the investment that CSX is making in Rocky Mount (N.C.), 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.” The Carolina Connector (CCX), announced in the summer of 2016 in Rocky Mount, will serve as a hub in the Southeast for containerized freight. The railroad said CCX along with the Queen City Express will lower transportation costs for businesses while taking trucks off the road, reducing emissions.
The addition of the Queen City Express follows the start of four new container services at the Port of Wilmington. The authority has also ordered new Panamax ship-to-shore cranes from Shanghai Zhenjua Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. (ZPMC). There is a turning basin expansion project, various berth improvements, and the expansion of the container yard, in all investment of $150 million in infrastructure in the coming years.
