John D. Boyd | Jul 16, 2009 4:58PM EDT
Norfolk Southern Railway said it plans to build a $129 million Memphis Regional Intermodal Terminal east of that city in Rossville, Tenn., with a targeted opening date of January 2012.
The facility, which would be just north of the Mississippi state line, is part of Norfolk Southern’s “Crescent Corridor” concept, a plan to improve tracks and build new facilities to end up with a higher-capacity intermodal route that arcs from Memphis and New Orleans in the South to New York in the Northeast.
Along the way, though, NS is looking for financial participation from state and federal funding programs to cover an estimated $2.5 billion in construction projects. In return, it touts the benefits of taking more freight off congested highways, lower total fuel use and emissions, and regional economic growth around its terminals.
A spokesman said the railroad has not yet determined how much of its own capital it will use to build the Memphis-area terminal, how much other parties will contribute, and when work will start.
However, NS has already put in some track siding and other work in northern Virginia to improve train flows there, which fits into the master plan for its intermodal corridor. Last week, company officials said they have a preferred site for a terminal near Birmingham, Ala., though that location has not been finalized.
The Rossville site in Fayette County, Tenn., is final, however. It covers 570 acres and offers economic development potential as well for nearby Marshall County, Miss. The Rossville site will move more than 327,000 containers and trailers a year, have space to park 2,177 of those boxes mounted on intermodal chassis, and serve four trains each day.
Contact John D. Boyd at jboyd@joc.com.
