CN, Duluth Cargo to open intermodal terminal in Twin Ports

CN and Duluth Cargo Connect yesterday announced a new alliance to establish the first rail-served intermodal container ramp at the Twin Ports in Duluth, Minn., and Superior, Wis.

Duluth Cargo Connect, a working partnership of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority and Lake Superior Warehousing Co., will operate the facility at the port's Clure Public Marine Terminal, port authority and CN officials said in a press release.

Loaded import containers from ports originating on all three coasts served by the railroad will arrive in Duluth via CN's rail network.

The new intermodal location "instantly connects" the region to containerized imports and exports, said Vanta Coda, the port authority's executive director.

"Our truck traffic has grown exponentially in recent years, and now we've partnered with CN to bring a whole new mode of efficient transportation services to the Twin Ports," Coda added.

The partnership with Duluth Cargo Connect "opens up a new logistics supply chain and growth opportunities for the port's partners and shippers in the region," said JJ Ruest, CN executive vice president and chief marketing officer.