COLUMBUS, OHIO ' Norfolk Southern today opened the Rickenbacker Intermodal Terminal near Columbus, Ohio. The $68.5 million facility allows Norfolk Southern to significantly expand its intermodal business in central Ohio by providing customers with improved service and increased capacity. The terminal is part of the Rickenbacker Global Logistics Park, one of the largest integrated logistics complexes in the U.S.
'The construction of the Rickenbacker terminal punctuates Norfolk Southern's commitment to serve the growing intermodal demands of central Ohio and Midwest shippers,' said Wick Moorman, Norfolk Southern's chief executive officer. 'Rickenbacker, one of five Norfolk Southern intermodal terminals in Ohio, will anchor our Heartland Corridor when that project is completed. We commend the Columbus Regional Airport Authority for its vision, tenacity and partnership in bringing this facility to fruition, and for its awareness of the vital role intermodal transportation can play in economic development.'
'The opening of the Rickenbacker Intermodal Terminal is a milestone for the area's logistics industry, and we congratulate Norfolk Southern on this exciting accomplishment,' said Elaine Roberts, A.A.E., president and CEO of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority (CRAA). 'We have already witnessed the start of the intermodal terminal's economic impact with new industrial development in the Rickenbacker area. We expect 20,000 new jobs over the next 30 years as a direct result of the new intermodal facility.'
The Rickenbacker Intermodal Terminal in its initial phase occupies approximately 175 acres and has the capacity to handle more than 250,000 containers and trailers annually. The terminal was designed with significant expansion capability as traffic volumes grow, and also has adjacent property potentially available for ancillary operations such as container yards. Rickenbacker utilizes the latest in gate and terminal automation technology and accommodates delivery of overweight containers to nearby customers. Six trains daily ' four between Rickenbacker and Chicago and two between Rickenbacker and Norfolk ' serve the terminal. Norfolk Southern and CRAA will host a dedication ceremony at the terminal on March 10.
The Heartland Corridor is a three-year railway improvement project scheduled to be completed in 2010 that is expected to significantly increase the speed of containerized freight moving in double-stack trains between the East Coast and the Midwest. Currently, double-stack trains must take longer routes by way of Harrisburg, Pa., or Knoxville, Tenn. The Heartland Corridor goes across Virginia, through southern West Virginia and north through Columbus. The Rickenbacker terminal and the Heartland Corridor are both made possible by public-private partnerships. Norfolk Southern partnered with the Ohio's congressional delegation, the State of Ohio, CRAA and the City of Columbus on development of the Rickenbacker terminal. The Heartland Corridor is a five-way partnership between Norfolk Southern, the states of Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia, and the federal government.
