Received the following via email.
Vice President Biden, USDOT Secretary Foxx Visit CSX Northwest Ohio Intermodal Terminal
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - November 6, 2013 - U.S. Vice
President Joe Biden and Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx visited
CSX's state of the art Northwest Ohio Intermodal Terminal in Wood County on
Wednesday. The event was the Vice President's most recent stop on a tour
focused on the importance of infrastructure investment following visits to
the Ports of Baltimore, Savannah, and Charleston. CSX's $175 million
intermodal rail facility opened in 2011, providing nearly 300 full-time,
local jobs and spurring growth and economic opportunity by improving access
to cost-effective, environmentally friendly intermodal freight rail transportation.
"Being able to efficiently move cargo and goods is
essential to this country's economy," remarked Vice President Biden. "CSX
and the Northwest Ohio Intermodal Terminal have led the revitalization of
this region by providing strong, middle-class jobs, supporting local
businesses and improving our nation's infrastructure to keep America
competitive globally."
Vice President Biden and Secretary Foxx had a full
day while visiting the intermodal facility, taking part in a driving tour
and training simulator demonstration as well as meeting employees and local
residents. During spoken remarks, the Vice President, Secretary of
Transportation and CSX executives discussed the importance of infrastructure
investment in improving America's competitiveness, strengthening the middle
class, and growing the American economy.
"Infrastructure projects
like this cutting-edge facility are the backbone of a growing American
middle class and a thriving American economy," said Anthony Foxx, secretary,
U.S. Department of Transportation. "This facility provides tremendous
benefits locally, regionally and for the entire nation."
"In an area
where service from East Coast ports once took up to a week, it now only
takes two to three days for goods to be shipped through the facility and
delivered to the customer's door," said Oscar Munoz, executive vice
president and chief operating officer, CSX Transportation. "We are very proud of our role in keeping America competitive by investing in infrastructure here in Ohio, at mid-Atlantic ports, and throughout our network. CSX appreciates the Vice President's long-standing support for our work here today and in the future."
Situated on more than 500 acres
in Wood County, Ohio, just one mile west of North Baltimore, the Northwest
Ohio Intermodal Terminal is a world-class, environmentally friendly freight
distribution hub for the Midwest and the nation. Handling 30 trains per day
and moving hundreds of thousands of containers per year, the terminal helps
link East Coast seaports with vital points in the Midwest, such as the
markets of Cincinnati, Columbus and Louisville. The terminal has created new
routing possibilities and growth opportunities for inland locations and
allows for faster, more reliable transit from the West Coast, allowing
shippers to bypass delays in congested areas like Chicago. It is the nerve
center of CSX Transportation's intermodal network and the cornerstone of the
company's double-stack freight initiative, the National Gateway.
The
National Gateway is CSX's award-winning $850 million public private partnership to create a highly efficient and environmentally-friendly, double-stack cleared rail corridor between the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. As one of the nation's largest transportation projects, over a 30 year period, the National Gateway will create more than 50,000 jobs and deliver a host of benefits including reduced fuel consumption, lower emissions, better safety, lower highway maintenance costs and reduced shipping costs.
About
CSX
CSX, based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a premier transportation company.
It provides rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services and
solutions to customers across a broad array of markets, including energy,
industrial, construction, agricultural, and consumer products. For more than
185 years, CSX has played a critical role in the nation's economic expansion
and industrial development. Its network connects every major metropolitan
area in the eastern United States, where nearly two-thirds of the nation's population resides. It also links more than 240 short-line railroads and more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports with major population centers and small farming towns alike. More information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at www.csx.com.
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