Norfolk Southern Railway's recent southern capacity boost could propel the Class Is' intermodal business northward — helping NS improve transit times, increase service consistency and create new routes for north/south trains in the process.
After opening its Austell, Ga., intermodal terminal July 30, NS immediately shaved three hours of transit time from Atlanta to Chicago, and a full day from Savannah, Ga. to Atlanta.
Next week, the Class I plans to increase its Savannah-to-Atlanta service to four days per week, and by Aug. 21, launch a new north/south service connecting Atlanta and Memphis with Harrisburg, Pa., and New York/New Jersey's metropolitan area.
NS plans to expand the new service in the near future to Dallas, Huntsville, Ala., Jacksonville, Fla., and Miami in the south, and Morrisville and Bethlehem, Pa., in the north.
The railroad's Austell terminal — which includes 20,000 feet of unloading tracks, 26,000 feet of support tracks and 3,450 trailer or container parking spaces — would enable NS to better handle local and regional intermodal demands.
"Austell will be a powerful engine for intermodal growth and give us the infrastructure to offer a portfolio of new service products for premium, domestic and international customers," said Mike McClellan, NS vice president of intermodal marketing, in a prepared statement.
Source: Progressive Railroading Daily News
