CSX, NC Ports to offer new intermodal rail service

CSX and North Carolina Ports this month will begin a daily intermodal service between Wilmington and Charlotte.

Dubbed the Queen City Express, the double-stacked train service will launch on July 28, marking the return of intermodal rail to North Carolina Ports, North Carolina Ports Authority officials said in a press release.

The service offers the availability of containers at the Charlotte Intermodal Terminal (CIT). The train also provides connectivity for container services calling on the Port of Wilmington, they said.

"This service, dovetailed with the investment that CSX is making in Rocky Mount, is a testament to our dedication to the state of North Carolina and North Carolina Ports," said Dean Piacente, vice president of CSX intermodal. "In addition to the connection to Charlotte, CSX will also provide future access to a transformational, state-of-the-art intermodal rail terminal in Eastern North Carolina — the Carolina Connector."

Announced last summer, the Carolina Connector in Rocky Mount will serve as a transportation hub for containerized freight. Along with the Queen City Express, the service aims to lower transportation costs for businesses while taking trucks off the road, which reduces greenhouse-gas emissions, port officials said.