Operations have started at the new Northwest Ohio Terminal, the cornerstone of the National Gateway’s new double-stack freight rail corridor between East Coast sea ports such as the Port of Baltimore and the US Midwest.

    The facility is expected to become a major transfer point handling around 2 million containers annually, including blocks of multiple rail wagons with a common destination and container lifts between rail wagons and trucks

    “This is a major milestone for the National Gateway and great news for customers across CSX’s rail network,” said Bill Clement, vice president of intermodal, CSX Transportation, adding that the facility will provide a faster and more reliable intermodal service.

    CSX will gradually move customer shipments through the new terminal over the next few months.

    Described as “setting a new standard for the rail freight industry as one of the country’s most environmentally friendly and technologically-advanced intermodal terminals”, the facility has incorporated new technologies and green design.

    These include electric cranes to lower emissions, optical scanners that reduce truck idle times and automated wagon tracking technologies, with remote switches that increase operational efficiency. Tideworks Technology was selected to provide its terminal operating system and integration.

    The hub is part of the National Gateway, a public-private partnership which supports the movement of double-stacked intermodal containers by rail by raising bridges, increasing tunnel clearances and building new terminals along existing rail routes.

    According to CSX Transportation, once complete the National Gateway will benefit its customers by improving service reliability and transit times, reducing highway congestion and enhancing the environment by converting more than 14 billion highway miles to rail, thereby decreasing fuel consumption by nearly 2 billion gallons.

(Source:http://www.container-mag.com)