NS, Florida East Coast Railway to expand intermodal service

Norfolk Southern Railway and Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) today announced an expansion of their domestic intermodal interline services for customers doing business in Florida.

Starting Oct. 2, NS' service portfolio will include FEC's Fort Pierce and Fort Lauderdale intermodal terminals, NS officials said in a press release.

The additions complement existing service to FEC terminals in Titusville and Miami, and provide greater flexibility for the railroads' shared customers, they said. In addition, the transaction is expected to expand direct access to and from markets in Chicago; Cincinnati; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; Lathrop, California; and points in southern California.

The railroads plan to interchange in Jacksonville, Florida, to provide the expanded intermodal service.

"As part of our customer-centric and operations-driven approach, we are constantly looking for opportunities to drive value and help our customers efficiently reach new markets," said NS Chief Marketing Officer Ed Elkins. "This shared focus with [FEC] makes this expansion possible."

The agreement with NS also enables FEC to reach additional markets on the East and West coasts, said FEC Vice President of Intermodal Luis Hernandez.