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Later this month, Norfolk Southern Corp. will launch a $160 million project to expand its Bellevue, Ohio, rail yard — more than doubling the yard’s capacity to meet rising freight-rail demand.

The project includes 38 new tracks, bringing the total number of classification tracks to 80; 38.5 miles of new rail, which will enable NS to increase the number of cars classified from about 1,800 to as many as 3,600 a day; 145 miles of underground cable for communication and signal systems; 140 new automated switches to direct train traffic to the proper tracks; and 11 upgraded control points.

“This project will help us improve asset utilization and efficiency, enhance customer service, strengthen our entire 22-state system, and further confirm Ohio’s importance to freight-rail transportation,” said NS Chief Operating Officer Mark Manion in a prepared statement.

Bellevue is one of 12 NS classification facilities, where freight cars are collected and sorted for final destinations. Once the project is completed in 2015, Bellevue will be the largest classification yard on the NS system, according to the Class I.