Intermodal

North Carolina Ports, CSX to begin Wilmington-Charlotte rail link

A new intermodal rail link to begin in September between the North Carolina State Ports Authority’s Port of Wilmington and the CSX intermodal terminal in Charlotte is being touted as a game-changer. “It’s a game-changer,” North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory said in announcing the new service – the Queen City Express – today (July 19) in Wilmington. “Now, even some of the South Carolina companies will have a choice between Charleston and the North Carolina port,” McCrory said. “We’re going to see a difference for the next 50 years.” North State Ports Authority Executive Director Paul J. Cozza noted that this will be Wilmington’s first intermodal service in 30 years, terming the offering “fantastic.” Michael J. Ward, chairman and chief executive officer of CSX Corp., said the service, along with a planned intermodal hub at Rocky Mount, N.C., announced earlier in the day, are “really going to enhance North Carolina’s connections with the rest of the world.” The new shuttle service is to transport double-stacked containers on existing CSX tracks between the two points, creating a reduced cost for cargo destined for the greater Charlotte region. [For more coverage, see the Aug. 8 and Sept. 12 editions of the American Journal of Transportation.]
Those gathered for announcement of the Queen City Express include, from left: North State Ports Authority Executive Director Paul J. Cozza ; Michael J. Ward, chairman and chief executive officer of CSX Corp.; North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory; North Carolina Secretary of Transportation; Tom Adams, chairman of the board, North Carolina State Ports Authority.
Those gathered for announcement of the Queen City Express include, from left: North State Ports Authority Executive Director Paul J. Cozza ; Michael J. Ward, chairman and chief executive officer of CSX Corp.; North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory; North Carolina Secretary of Transportation Nick Tennyson; and Tom Adams, chairman of the board, North Carolina State Ports Authority.
Paul Scott Abbott
Paul Scott Abbott

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For more than a quarter of a century, Paul Scott Abbott has been writing and shooting images for the American Journal of Transportation, applying four decades of experience as an award-winning journalist.
A graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, with a master’s magna cum laude from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Abbott has served as president of chapters of the Propeller Club of the United States, Florida Public Relations Association and Society of Professional Journalists.
Abbott honed his skills on several daily newspapers, including The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Richmond (Va.) News Leader, Albuquerque Journal and (South Florida) Sun-Sentinel, and was editor and publisher of The County Line, a weekly newspaper he founded in suburban Richmond, Va.
A native Chicagoan, he is a member of American Mensa and an ever-optimistic fan of the Chicago Cubs.

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