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Union Pacific Railroad July 5 announced that a $20 million automobile distribution facility in Centreville, Ill., was completed June 1 after nearly a year of construction.
The facility — primarily built for DaimlerChrysler under a February 2000 strategic alliance agreement — includes staging capacity for 5,000 vehicles, a 7,000-square-foot administration building, four 2,400-foot tracks accommodating 80 rail cars for vehicle loading and unloading, nine 3,000-foot tracks accommodating 200 multi-level rail cars, and security lighting and fencing.
DaimlerChrysler plans to truck new autos from its Fenton, Mo., plant to the facility, about 10 miles southeast of St. Louis, where UP would load vehicles onto rail cars for moves to other vehicle distribution facilities in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
UP also would transfer to trucks DaimlerChrysler vehicles arriving by rail from other assembly plants for delivery to St. Louis-area dealerships.
In addition to DaimlerChrysler automobiles, UP plans to operate the facility for St. Louis-area Mazda dealerships, and for CT Services' and St. Louis Auto Auction's used vehicles.