Alabama inland port preps for growing traffic, supply chain uncertainty 

By Bridget Dean, Associate Editor 

For the inland port in Huntsville, Alabama, service consistency and flexibility are the key aspects of its offerings — and its future.

More shippers are realizing the benefits of utilizing an inland port, says Port of Huntsville CEO Butch Roberts. The port has increased its rail lifts for two consecutive years, and as of March, had surpassed 1 million lifts total since its International Intermodal Center began operations in 1986. 

Huntsville is home to the state’s only northern inland port, connecting shippers to both West and East Coast ports via Norfolk Southern Railway, as well as international air service. Since first opening the airport in 1967, the port has kept up with the demand for rail, air and truck infrastructure needed to support the industrial development in the area by building for growth. The intermodal facility handled 33,745 lifts in 2024, but Roberts says the port is prepared for a significant increase in traffic. 

“We could grow tremendously,” he says. “We could do 100,000 lifts a year on the facility that we’ve got. So, we’ve overbuilt.”  

The port’s distance from urban Huntsville is a distinct advantage to both the airport and rail yard, as the surrounding land is mostly fields and already zoned for industrial and transportation operations. Many ports run into issues while expanding due to height restrictions and lack of space to grow in major cities, Roberts says. 

The entire port complex spans over 7,000 acres, comprised of the Huntsville International Airport, the International Intermodal Center and the Jetplex Industrial Park. There is a rail yard at the intermodal center that stretches about 51 acres with 5 miles of track located 4 miles from an NS mainline.  

At the intermodal center, NS provides direct international service to and from the ports in Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia. Connecting international and domestic service is available from Union Pacific Railroad, via NS in Memphis, to and from major West Coast ports. In addition, BNSF Railway Co. provides inbound service only from the West Coast into Huntsville via NS in Memphis. 

The port features its own storage tracks, two cranes, three locomotives and other equipment to perform its own switching services. Port workers stage shipments for daily pick up and drop off by NS. 

The port also offers security through its Air Police Department and has on-site U.S. Customs service. It can serve as a temporary warehouse for up to 10 days, which is a less common practice at larger ports that move traffic through much quicker, says Roberts. 

Temporary staging and storage can be crucial to industries using just-in-time delivery, such as the auto manufacturing industry, which is really strong in Alabama, he adds.  

Overall manufacturing and industrial expansion is booming in Huntsville. The port’s own industrial park covers 4,000 acres and provides companies with a convenient location with close access to both rail and air transportation.  

The city is the largest, population-wise, in the state, and jobs in engineering are attracting more people to the city. The Army’s Redstone Arsenal base is situated just outside Huntsville, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is building a complex in the region and Mazda Toyota Manufacturing recently built a plant just 6 miles away from the port, Roberts says. 

“I think people are figuring that out, [it’s] just cheaper to rail something in than [by] truck. It is environmentally more friendly, obviously, and you get into a smaller city, you just got less congestion,” he says. “And obviously, if you manufacture here and [ship] out, it's going to be cheaper, too, than trucking.” 

The inland port also prides itself on the flexibility of its service, Roberts says. It can receive cargo from and ship cargo to both East and West coast ports, which is helpful when a labor strike is impacting ports along a coast, as occurred on the East and Gulf coasts Oct. 1-3, 2024.  

During times of supply-chain disruptions, the port can work with NS, the nearby Port of Savannah and their shippers to understand what issues they are facing and make sure they keep products flowing, says Roberts. 

“We just want to be consistent, [so shippers] can understand what to expect. ...  They're the ones that ... take the risks,” he says.  

Whether the Suez Canal has congestion problems or a shipper’s regular port is undergoing a strike, what shippers won’t have to worry about is what to expect from the Port of Huntsville, Roberts stresses.