Parsec to operate NS intermodal terminal in West Virginia

West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and West Virginia Public Port Authority officials last week announced Parsec Inc. was awarded a contract to operate Norfolk Southern Railway's new Heartland Intermodal Gateway (HIG) terminal in Prichard, W.Va.

Parsec will begin operating the HIG in late summer to prepare for the opening of the intermodal terminal in December.

The 100-acre HIG will accommodate container traffic from the Port of Virginia along NS' Heartland Corridor, a double-stack route between Norfolk, Va., and Chicago that runs through southern West Virginia. The HIG also will access West Coast ports and serve as a cargo-transfer station along NS' line.

"The Heartland Intermodal Gateway serves as an example of how the collaborative efforts of a few can have a significant impact on the lives of many,” said Tomblin in a press release. “Not only will this facility have a lasting effect and help expand West Virginia’s economy, it will improve the productivity of [our] existing manufacturing plants and factories."