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8/7/2024
The Port of Virginia's project to expand the the Norfolk International Terminals' (NIT) Central Rail Yard has been completed, giving the port the capacity to process 2 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) by rail annually.
The expansion project enhances the port’s reach to important Midwestern population and manufacturing centers by train, said Virginia Port Authority CEO and Executive Director Stephen Edwards in a press release.
“Modernizing and expanding the capability at NIT’s Central Rail Yard gives us additional rail capacity ahead of the completion of the first phase of expansion at NIT’s North Berth [in 2025],” Edwards said. “Cargo volumes coming to the U.S. East Coast are steadily increasing and moving the cargo to market by rail, over The Port of Virginia, is smart business.”
Construction began in 2022 and the $83 million project was delivered on-time and on-budget, port authority officials said. The investment is part of the port’s larger $1.4 billion Gateway Investment Program. The port used a $20 million federal grant and a $20 million grant from the state Department of Rail and Public Transportation to build two new rail-track bundles and purchase three all-electric cantilever rail-mounted gantry cranes.
Port authority, state, federal and industry representatives yesterday attended a ceremony to mark the completion of the rail yard's expansion.
“We are proud to be a steward of this port modernization project contributing a $20 million investment which not only expands the Norfolk International Terminals’ Central Rail Yard, but serves to elevate the entire Port of Virginia as a critical hub for trade on the East Coast,” said U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg.
NIT offers direct, on-dock rail access with Norfolk Southern Railway and intermodal access with CSX.