b'2American Journal of Transportation ajot.comMidwest Intermodal Hubs SPONSORED CONTENTCenterPoint offering timely cost savings with North Americas largest inland portBy Paul Scott Abbott, AJOTAs shippers in a pandemic-impactedfor lease at the center.world place growing emphasis on cost- Whether its the pandemic itself efficient supply chains, they increasinglyortherelatedrecession,thesekinds are turning to CenterPoint Intermodalof macro global events tend to drive Center-JolietNorth Americas larg- moreshippersandthird-partylogis-est inland portto provide the idealticsproviderstolookatenhanced Canadian National Railways Chicago intermodal operation is among several deployed by CN insolution. supplychainefficiencies,McKier-handling volumes moving to and from U.S. and Canadian ports. Strategicallysituated40milesnan told AJOT.southwest of Chicago, the 6,400-acre Midwest intermodal hubs offerCIC-Joliet complex has seen severalL owerL andedC ostsr eaLizedmillionadditionalsquarefeetputAs companies become more and shippers eco-friendly savingsintoactiveuseoverthesixmonthsmore cost-focused, I think well see sincetheworldwasjoltedbytheeven more tenants seeking to benefit COVID-19pandemicandeconomicfrom a lower total landed cost, McK-via host of railroads aftershocks, and, according to Brianiernanadded,citingreductionsin McKiernan, senior vice president ofdrayage and demurrage costs. Com-By Paul Scott Abbott, AJOT CenterPointProperties,morethan1paniescanalsorealizeconsiderable million square feet of warehouse andenvironmental sustainability benefits Withsupplychainscontinuingthechangesimplementedtwoyearsdistributionspaceremainavailable(TIMELYcontinued on page 4)tobeimpactedbytheCOVID-19agothroughscheduledrailroading, pandemic,intermodalhubsintheouroperationsareadeptatadjust-Midwestandbeyondareofferinging to volume fluctuations, allowing shippersenduringopportunitiesforour network to respond to customer environmentallyfriendlycosteffi- demand and reliably meet their needs ciencies via the full spectrum of railfor sustained growth.carriers,fromClassIstoregionalWiththecoreintermodalnet-railroads to short lines. work of CSX serving the eastern half IntermodalactivityisbackonoftheUnitedStates,theChicago theupswing,accordingtothoughtsgateway serves as the railroads pri-shared withAJOTby numerous rail- marynexusforintermodalfreight, road and association leaders. moving through a pair of intermodalAs the economy restarts, CSXterminals,representingwhatSchild is experiencing the return of intermo- describedasthelargestconnection dal volumes across our network andpoint in North America for the trans- Strategically located 40 miles southwest of Chicago, the 6,400-acre athigherlevelsthanin2019,saidcontinental movement of freight. CenterPoint Intermodal Center-Joliet is North Americas largest inland port.Cindy Schild, director of media rela- In addition, CSX is developing a tionsandpublicaffairsatJackson- scalable,phasedlogisticsparkadja-ville, Florida-based CSX. cent to its Northwest Ohio intermodalFortunately, she continued, with(SAVINGScontinued on page 4)SAVE SAVETIME & MONEYDIRECT ACCESSTRADING INBULK, BREAK BULK,SEAMLESS SUPPLY INTO ALL OF NORTHOVER 50 GLOBALLIQUID & CHAIN WITH A AMERICA MARKETS SPECIAL CARGO CONNECTED NETWORKSIMPLE. COMPETITIVE. CONNECTED.EUROPE U.S. MID-WESTTO SPECIAL CARGOTOU.S. MID-WEST ICON/BADGE NORTH AFRICASHIP WITH US TODAYThe Chicago gateway, including the CSX facility in Bedford Park, Illinois, is billed as North Americas largest connection point for transcontinental freight.'