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Burlington Northern Santa Fe in late 2002 plans to begin serving a 300,000-square-foot freight distribution center near the railroad's new intermodal yard, now under construction in Elwood, Ill., on the site of the former Joliet Arsenal.
Partners Warehouse Inc., a freight transportation provider that processes rail-to-truck and truck-to-rail bulk cargo shipments, Oct. 15 announced plans to begin building the facility at CenterPoint Intermodal Center in spring.
BNSF is building the yard on a 621-acre parcel in the Deer Run Industrial Park, a 2,242-acre project under development by Oak Brook, Ill.-based CenterPoint Properties. The Class I plans to use about 56 acres for the yard and lease the remaining land through CenterPoint Properties, including Partners Warehouse's parcel.
The Partners Warehouse facility would have direct access to BNSF's yard — through a double rail spur — and include 14 double-dock doors enabling the simultaneous loading and unloading of 28 box cars. Company officials claim in a prepared statement that Partners Warehouse's 150,000-square-foot Hodgkins, Ill., facility is outdated and undersized for its growing customer base.
BNSF plans in summer to complete CenterPoint Intermodal Center, which would be the Chicago area's only intermodal yard within an industrial park. The yard eventually would serve other tenants in the park, which CenterPoint Properties plans to develop over the next 10 years.