Savannah’s two on-terminal ICTFs provide twice the options.By John Powers, special to the AJOTThe only US East Coast port with two Class I rail providers operating on-terminal. The only port in the country offering two Intermodal Container Transfer Facilities (ICTF). Clear indicators of the ascendancy of intermodal rail traffic in the Port of Savannah. Even before the 2008 fuel pricing fluctuations, intermodal rail was consuming a growing share of surface container traffic in and out of Savannah. Of the nearly 2.7 million TEUs that traversed Savannah docks in FY2008 (July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008), 18% moved by rail. The location equation applies. The US Southeast boasts many of the nation’s fastest growing transportation centers. Fully 80% of the nation’s population falls within a hinterland that is cost competitively served by rail via Savannah. John Wheeler, GPA Director of Trade Development details an additional growth phenomenon. “More and more, markets historically associated with West Coast ports of entry are taking advantage of Savannah’s multiple advantages of proximity, cost, transit, equipment availability and a diverse ocean carrier roster. Our recent surge in Suez routings has made us particularly attractive for importers bringing product from Asia,” he explains. While fuel costs have changed the traditional geography for intermodal rail, markets beyond a 300 mile radius generally lend themselves to the rail option. Via Savannah, this makes distribution/population hubs such as Memphis, Nashville, Dallas and points in the Midwest logical destinations. No single market receives more of Savannah’s intermodal attentions than Atlanta. Ranking as the ninth largest US metro, Atlanta is simultaneously a major population center with 5.2 million consumers in its immediate region, and a major distribution/consolidation hub for receipt and on-forwarding of a wide array of consumer and manufactured products. Combined, Norfolk Southern Railroad and CSXT operate 18 weekly unit trains via Savannah. Squarely in the sights of the Georgia Ports Authority’s sales and marketing team are cargoes currently traversing the West Coast, but better suited to call East Coast markets via Savannah. Wheeler adds, “In the western US, a shortage of port-proximate real estate has forced intermodal facilities and distribution centers inland. As a result, shippers cannot enjoy the transit and cost advantages inherent in our on-terminal rail configuration.” One of the critical components of the Port of Savannah’s 10-year strategic development plan is to double container throughput across the existing footprint of its Garden City Terminal. Ultimately, changes in terminal configuration, process and equipment are targeted to permit the facility to handle annual volumes in excess of 6.5 million TEUs by the middle of the next decade. A key component of the strategy has been the development of the port’s two ICTF’s, Mason and Chatham. Curtis Foltz, COO, explains, “Development of intermodal container transfer facilities within the confines of our terminal is a key component of our attempts to further our terminal densification. This proximity enables us to dramatically reduce times between vessel and rail, improving transit times for shippers and equipment availability for ocean and surface carriers.” Augie Eckhardt, Market Manager International for Norfolk Southern Railroad, concurs, “The ICTF provides for a seamless flow of traffic between the marine terminal and rail service. As volumes moving through the Port of Savannah continue to grow, so will the importance of this direct, on-dock service by offering shippers greater options for moving cargo inland, and reducing the need for inland-destined units to dwell on the marine terminal.” A number of converging supply chain trends suggest that Savannah’s rail initiatives are well timed. “Carriers continue to deploy larger ships, and they tend to reduce the number of ports in their rotations to take advantage of their economies of sc