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Last week, Norfolk Southern Corp. announced it selected a site in Jefferson County, Ala., for a new $112 million intermodal terminal. The Class I plans to build the Birmingham Intermodal Terminal in McCalla near interstates 20 and 59.

Slated to open in 2012, the 316-acre facility will be designed to handle 165,000 containers and trailers annually, and serve six intermodal trains daily. Located about 20 miles from Birmingham, the terminal will feature three loading tracks and 1,440 paved container/trailer parking spaces.

The facility will be part of NS’ Crescent Corridor, a proposed 2,500-mile intermodal route between the Northeast (New Jersey) and Southeast (Louisiana). The Class I projects that the McCalla terminal will create or benefit 8,600 jobs and provide the area a cumulative 10-year economic impact exceeding $4 billion.

NS also announced yesterday that it teamed up with Union Pacific Railroad to launch a new expedited intermodal service designed for refrigerated trailers between Atlanta and Los Angeles. The railroads will provide shippers the option to have their refrigeration units serviced during stops in El Paso, Texas.

The industry’s fastest Atlanta-to-L.A service will offer a “seamless shift” from over-the-road transportation by providing truck-like speed (more than 500 mph) and reliability, NS and UP said in a joint statement.