Chattanooga VW plant touts rail options
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefVolkswagen Group of America, Chattanooga Operations on Wednesday held a ceremony to commemorate the completion of rail improvements that will allow the company to move nearly 85% of the cars built in the Tennessee factory to the Volkswagen dealer network across North America.
Both CSX and Norfolk Southern have access to Volkswagen Chattanooga, initially geared to produce Volkswagen Passats destined for 16 U.S. destinations, three Canadian locations, and one destination in Mexico.
“This is another important milestone in Volkswagen’s return to production in North America. The rail yard is a vital connection for Volkswagen Chattanooga, as the vast majority of our cars will ship by train,” said Frank Fischer, CEO and chair of Volkswagen Chattanooga.
The Tennessee Valley Railroad Authority will serve as the switching agent to assist in moving the cars from the factory rail yard to the switch yard where CSX and Norfolk Southern will take them for transport across the country.
“With the rail network being a critical component of a successful supply chain, Wallenious Wilhelmsen Logistics is delighted to support Volkswagen’s rail connections via CSX and Norfolk Southern,” said John Felitto, president and CEO of WWL Vehicle Services America and EVP of Wallenious Wilhelmsen Logistics Americas. WWL handles vehicle processing and yard management at the Chattanooga Plant.
VW marked the occasion with a Golden Spike ceremony, including participants arriving on former Southern Railway steam locomotive #630, originally built in 1904 and donated to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum by Norfolk Southern in 1999.
