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On Nov. 8, CSX Corp. Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Ward, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, and other state and local officials attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Winter Haven Intermodal Rail Terminal in Winter Haven, Fla.

The 318-acre terminal will be constructed and operated by CSX's Evansville Western Railway subsidiary. To be operational by May 2014, the terminal will enable CSX to better serve customers in Orlando, Tampa and south Florida.

The facility will feature five 3,000-foot loading tracks and two 10,000-foot arrival and departure tracks, and three electric rail-mounted gantry cranes. The site is adjacent to 930 acres that CSX retains an option on to purchase from the city of Winter Haven.

The intermodal terminal will serve as a magnet for the development of distribution centers, warehouses and manufacturing facilities on the adjacent property, helping to form the Winter Haven Integrated Logistics Center, CSX and state officials said in a prepared statement. The center will be a key asset for economic development in Florida, they said, adding that a HDR Engineering Inc. study determined it's economic impact would surpass $10 billion over a 10-year period.

The terminal "enhances Florida's world-renowned capabilities in transportation and logistics," said Ward.