NS Opens Intermodal Terminal in Columbus, Ohio

Norfolk Southern has opened the Rickenbacker Intermodal Terminal near Columbus, Ohio. The $68.5 million facility will give the railroad the opportunity to significantly expand its intermodal business in central Ohio. The terminal is part of the Rickenbacker Global Logistics Park, one of the largest integrated logistics complexes in the country.

The Rickenbacker terminal is one of five NS intermodal terminals in Ohio. The terminal will anchor the company’s Heartland Corridor when that project is completed.

The Rickenbacker Intermodal Terminal in its initial phase, has the capacity to handle more than 250,000 containers and trailers annually. The terminal was designed with significant expansion capability as traffic volumes grow, and also has adjacent property potentially available for ancillary operations such as container yards. Rickenbacker utilizes the latest in gate and terminal automation technology and accommodates delivery of overweight containers to nearby customers. Six trains daily – four between Rickenbacker and Chicago and two between Rickenbacker and Norfolk – serve the terminal.

The Heartland Corridor is a three-year railway improvement project scheduled to be completed in 2010 that is expected to significantly increase the speed of containerized freight moving in double-stack trains between the East Coast and the Midwest.