BNSF, CSX launch LA-Ohio intermodal service

Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
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BNSF and CSX will launch a container-only direct-rail domestic and international intermodal service between Los Angeles and CSX’s Northwest Ohio Intermodal Terminal in North Baltimore, Ohio, on Oct. 29, 2018. The new service will run eastbound and westbound with departure offerings five days per week in each direction.

Much like BNSF’s Southern California to Atlanta service, a portion of this new service from the Los Angeles region to North Baltimore will operate under a haulage agreement with CSX. The route will traverse BNSF’s Southern Transcon through and beyond Chicago to the Ohio Valley.

“Customers who take advantage of this new service can reach key markets within the fast-growing Ohio Valley region,” said BNSF Group Vice President Consumer Products Tom Williams. “Our new Ohio intermodal service will create an efficient, direct service from the West Coast. It’s another way BNSF is working to streamline the existing supply chain and makes moving products easier.”

“The agreement with BNSF builds on a strong partnership to launch a premium intermodal service product between Los Angeles and our Northwest Ohio terminal,” CSX said.

In addition to the joint service with BNSF, CSX has partnered with NorthPoint Development to construct a 500-acre logistics park adjacent to Northwest Ohio Intermodal Terminal, and has expanded eastern access to the facility via new service to and from the Port of New York and New Jersey.

The logistics park will include traditional warehousing and distribution capabilities, as well as services such as a container yard and equipment storage, export container stuffing, and transload and breakbulk resources, all within a heavy-haul local corridor.

“In combination, these opportunities position our strategically located terminal for growth and strengthen CSX’s value offering in the Ohio Valley,” said CSX President and CEO James M. Foote. “We are excited to transform Northwest Ohio into a regional demand point that provides attractive solutions for customers and supply chain needs. The Northwest Ohio Intermodal Terminal is ideally situated on our main line network 30 miles south of Toledo on Interstate 75 and is surrounded by a population of nearly 30 million within a 200-mile radius. This suite of new services and support are enabled by the improved train plan and simplified switching operation at the terminal.”

Built in 2011, CSX’s Northwest Ohio facility is equipped with seven wide-span electric cranes and technology “that minimizes truck idle time,” CSX said. “It operates 24 hours a day, and has a lift capacity of 700,000 for local operations, with ground storage available for more than 2,000 units.”

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