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Norfolk Southern Railway is nearing completion of its Heartland Corridor between Chicago, Columbus, Ohio, and the Port of Norfolk, Va. But the Class I already is pursuing an expansion plan for the double-stack intermodal route.

The Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) recently approved NS’ application to proceed with engineering and construction on a Columbus-to-Cincinnati “Heartland Corridor West” extension to accommodate double-stack trains.

The more than $6 million project calls for increasing clearances at five locations between Columbus and Sharonville, and adding tracks at the Rickenbacker intermodal facility in Columbus. The project will be funded by a $3.6 million American Recovery & Reinvestment Act grant, as well as matching funds from NS and the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments.

“It’s this kind of public-private investment in our rail network that enhances Ohio’s already strategic position as a distribution and logistics hub for both North America and the world,” said ORDC Executive Director Matt Dietrich in a prepared statement.

The extension to Cincinnati will create new opportunities for shippers, and provide “significant economic and environmental benefits throughout Ohio, northern Kentucky and southern Indiana,” said Mike McClellan, NS’ vice president of automotive and intermodal marketing.