CSX launches Pittsburgh intermodal terminal

CSX this week began operations at its new Pittsburgh intermodal terminal in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, the railroad announced yesterday.

The terminal offers shippers a new transportation option to move freight to and from Western Pennsylvania, CSX officials said in a press release.

The Pittsburgh terminal is the last key component of the Class I's National Gateway Initiative, an $850 million public-private partnership designed to create an efficient network of double-stack rail and intermodal terminals that connect East Coast markets to consumers, manufacturers and businesses in the Midwest.

Through the initiative, more than 95 percent of the railroad's intermodal network is now double-stack cleared, which maximizes the potential efficiency of its service, CSX officials said.

The facility occupies a 70-acre site that once served as the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad yard in Stowe Township and McKees Rocks Borough. By leveraging its hub-and-spoke intermodal network, the Class I will connect Pittsburgh to more than 40 North American markets, while offering truck-competitive service to maximize customers' shipping options, CSX officials said.

"CSX is committed to serving the growing needs of our current intermodal customers and others who can benefit from the speed and efficiency of intermodal service," said Fredrik Eliasson, the Class I's executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer. "Our newest facility in Pittsburgh will connect southwestern Pennsylvania to markets across the country and around the world, while improving supply chain flows and reducing transportation costs."