Schneider National Inc., national railroad executives and elected officials gathered in Marion, Ohio, on June 22 to officially celebrate the arrival of dedicated train service to manufacturers and businesses in the Ohio River Valley. The new service, a collaboration between Schneider, CSX Intermodal, Inc., the Kansas City Southern railroad and the Marion, Ohio Industrial Center, makes Schneider the first truckload carrier to offer this unique solution to improve shippers' supply chains.
"Shippers in the Ohio Valley were looking for reliable, committed capacity," said Chris Lofgren, president and CEO at Schneider National. "We thank the railroads and the Marion Industrial Center for collaborating with us to deliver a solution that not only quadruples intermodal capacity in the region, but further establishes our position as a leader in the industry."
In addition to Lofgren, other dignitaries speaking at the event included Steve Rand, AVP sales and account development, CSX Intermodal; Dan Avramovich, executive vice president, sales and marketing, Kansas City Southern Railroad; Ted Graham, president, Marion Industrial Facility; Marion Mayor Jack Kellogg and Ohio State Senator Larry A. Mumper. Comments about the new service were followed by a symbolic "christening" of the train and a presentation of a train bell to the city of Marion for its warm welcome to Schneider National.
According to Bill Matheson, vice president and general manager, Intermodal for Schneider National, the new offering features a Schneider-operated intermodal ramp as well as dedicated trains running six days a week from Marion, Ohio, to Kansas City, MO, with connecting service to California and the Southwest. The service will ultimately cut up to one day from existing transit times for freight originating in this market. Schneider plans to expand the offering to include service to both Dallas and Mexico later this year, and is also exploring service to the Pacific Northwest.
"The congested Chicago gateway was burdening shippers' supply chains, and with this solution we have enabled them to improve service levels, cut costs and expand their market reach," said Matheson. "Since the launch of the new service on June 5, we have seen strong initial demand which we expect will grow with the upcoming shipping surge season."
