b'46American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comNew rail yard increases intermodal serviceBy Brenda Silva, AJOTAt NC Ports, FY24 cargothe new North Gate entrance statsshowarecord17,000for increased storage capacity containersweremovedbyandimprovedswitching rail,whichwasnotedascapacity.This$24million 13% above budget. Lookingproject was awarded a Federal ahead, NC Ports is planningRAISEgranttotaling$18 tomorethantriplethatmillion and will be breaking numberofrail-transportedground later this month.containers,thanksinpartHesummedup,Our toanewrailyardthatwillstrategicdecisiontoremain expandcapacity.Asoneofdiversified between containers thepriorityprojectsatNCand general cargo will remain Ports, the new intermodal railthe focus over the long term. yardisexpectedtoincreaseThe NC Ports team is focused capacity to more than 50,000on strengthening our position container moves annually. to serve North Carolinas key Clarkelaborated,NClegacy and growth industries Portsisbuildinganewlikeagriculture,textiles,and intermodal rail yard that willfurniture. Given our customer-The Zim Hong Kong enters the Port of Wilmington, NC providefournewworkingcentric and tailored approach, trackstotalinganadditionalweanticipateexpanding North Carolina Ports look to5,000 linear feet. This facilityourintegratedsolutionsand willhelpdivertmorethancollaborationwithindustry strengthen links in supply chains 250,000containersfrompartnersandcargointerests. trucktorailoverthenextWeexpecttobuilduponour decadeandwillexpandourinvestmentsoverthelast10 Growth in reefer and intermodal business remain keys to East Coastintermodalrailcapacitytoyears by continuing to expand competitive edge. morethan50,000containerourcoldchaincapacityand movesbyrailannually.Acapabilities,aswellasgrow By Brenda Silva, AJOT separaterailstorageprojectour intermodal rail connectivity will also add 6,000 feet nearand inland reach.WithrecordstatisticscarriersmustbevigilantinThere has certainly been reported for fiscal year 2024,optimizingtheirsupplychainmoreattentiononsafety the North Carolina State Portsnetworks,puttingapremiumsince the bridge collapse both Authorityisnotcontenttoonflexibility,efficiency,andwithin the industry and across simply rest on its impressiveresiliency, so that their vesselgovernmententities.There achievements. Rather, NC Portsservices and port operations canwasaveryquickresponse executives are eager to continuemove fluidly, Clark asserted. andregularcommunication theirsuccessfulbusinessHe added, Tapping intoto support the Port of Baltimore momentum with a robust planalternative ports and deployingand to ensure minimal supply that aims to target weak linksa diversified gateway strategychaindisruptionsacrossthe in supply chains. An importantcanofferoceancarriersandEast Coast. But just as crucial, part of the plan is a focus on theshippers more flexibility andwehaveseenincreased current growth of cold chain/ reliabilityandcanhaveaassessmentofpotentialrisks reeferandintermodalcargopositive impact on improvingandinfrastructureanalysis, being transported from Northsupply chain performance. along with contingency planning, CarolinaportstolocationsOn the issues of safety andsince the incident.throughout the country. AlongsecurityatNCPorts,ClarkAs part of their commitment withcontinuedgrowthinpointedoutimprovementsto safety at NC Ports, Clark tonnage,NCPortshasalsosince the collapse of the bridge(STRENGTHENcontin- The new intermodal rail yard is expected to increase capacity to more than focusedonleveragingitsat the Port of Baltimore. ued on page 48) 50,000 container moves annually.diversified services to appeal tomoreshippers,allowing NC Ports to become a strong competitorforbusinessin establishedEastCoasttrade routes.s afety , s ecurIty ,anDs uPPlyc haInsIn recent years, safety and securityissueshavebecome higher priorities among shippers whoarealreadyfacedwith challengesthathavecreated supplychainobstaclesand financialburdens.According to Brian E. Clark, Executive DirectoratNorthCarolina Ports, one way for shippers toaddresssupplychain disruptionistooptimize their supply chain networks.Oneofthechallenges facing the industry is the ability forcarrierstooptimizetheir networksandtradecorridors. Asaresultofsignificant disruption over the last several years, the industry, as a whole has been in a state of chaos, and on-time reliability is at an all-time low. Shippers and ocean'