Eco-Friendly Intermodal Cranes Will Improve Efficiency and Aid Economic Competitiveness

TOLEDO, Ohio, June 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CSX (NYSE: CSX), a leader in freight transportation services, joined with the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and the National Gateway to celebrate today the arrival of five new ultra-efficient intermodal cranes at the Port of Toledo. The cranes are bound for the new Northwest Ohio Intermodal Terminal in North Baltimore, Ohio.

"These cranes represent a major part of the revolution in environmentally-friendly freight transportation taking place in this region," said Peter Craig, terminal superintendent, CSX Intermodal. "Once installed, the cranes will reduce emissions and improve the efficiency of our operations throughout the Midwest, while increasing the economic competitiveness of the entire country."

Manufactured by Hans Kuenz GmbH, the new cranes are nearly silent, ultra-efficient wide span cranes that will serve rail, truck and container stacks at the Northwest Ohio facility. When transferring cargo containers between trains and trucks, the cranes will use electric motors to reduce emissions and will store the energy from crane, trolley and hoist decelerations for future use.

The Northwest Ohio Intermodal Terminal will be the cornerstone of the National Gateway, a public-private partnership to link the Midwest with the rest of the nation through increased use of double-stack trains, which stack containers on top of containers to move long distances. The Northwest Ohio Terminal is being built and operated by the Evansville & Western Railway Inc. The terminal will employ more than 200 people when fully operational in 2011, with 400 additional jobs to be created during the construction phase. Over the next 10 years, more than 2,600 direct and indirect jobs could be created as a result of the facility. The terminal will serve as the distribution hub for anything that can be bought at a retailer – from household electronic equipment to clothing.

Careful consideration and attention to detail have assured efficiency and concern for the environment throughout the terminal and intermodal yard. The use of optical cargo scanners at inbound and outbound gates will improve terminal efficiency and minimize truck idle time to reduce emissions. Scanners at both ends of the Northwest Ohio Terminal will feed container information into the operations system to automatically provide a work order to the trucker. The terminal will be lit with high-pressure sodium bulbs, which reduce energy consumption and light pollution. The yard will also utilize environmentally friendly steel ties, which are made from recycled steel and are 100% recyclable themselves.

The National Gateway is a multi-state infrastructure initiative supported by a coalition of supporters, which includes CSX and its affiliates, large and small business interests, logistics companies, environmental advocates, federal, state and local governments and economic development agencies.  Over a 30-year period, the initiative will lower CO2 emissions by over 20 million tons, save businesses over $5 billion in shipping costs, reduce fuel consumption by nearly 2 billion gallons, and reduce congestion on the highways.  

To learn more about the National Gateway, visit www.nationalgateway.org.

CSX Corporation, based in Jacksonville, Fla., is a leading transportation company providing rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services. The company's transportation network spans approximately 21,000 miles with service to 23 eastern states and the District of Columbia, and connects to more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports. More information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at the company's web site, www.csx.com.

SOURCE CSX Corporation