Norfolk Southern serving GE Appliances via new intermodal link with UP

Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern Railway's new domestic intermodal service has begun shipping for Kentucky-based GE Appliances, NS announced yesterday. 

In September, the two Class Is announced the new service, which leverages UP's network to connect customers with NS's modernized intermodal facilities in the Louisville, Kentucky, area. The new connection opens a gateway linking Kentucky’s manufacturing base to domestic markets and global trade corridors via ports in the West and Southwest regions, NS officials said in a Story Yard report.

 Kentucky is a national leader in consumer goods manufacturing, electric vehicle battery production, automotive, air cargo and bourbon exports. Louisville, in particular, offers direct access to major highways, rail lines and inland ports, along with a deep pool of skilled labor, according to NS.

GE Appliances is a cornerstone of Kentucky’s economy and a national model for advanced manufacturing. Its Appliance Park campus in Louisville includes five major manufacturing plants and serves as the company’s global headquarters.

Recent investments include a $490 million expansion to bring washer production back to the United States, featuring smart factory technologies like automation, robotics and vertical integration. The expansion will create 800 new full-time jobs, NS officials said. NS is a key transportation provider at the park, where the railroad opened an intermodal ramp and facility that serves as the anchor for rail service there.

"This service strengthens our ability to deliver innovation at scale and reach customers faster and more efficiently while also removing trucks from the highway," said Adam Wiseman, senior director of logistics responsible for strategy, inventory and deployment at GE Appliances.

The UP-NS intermodal service in the Louisville area was announced after UP revealed in July that it plans to acquire NS to create a U.S. transcontinental railroad.