NS begins double-stack intermodal service from Chicago to New England

Norfolk Southern Railway today announced the launch of a newly cleared double-stack intermodal corridor connecting Chicago and New England.

A new service dubbed "East Edge" is designed to reduce transit times by up to 10 hours, add substantial network capacity and replace a slower, single-stack route with a modern double-stack route into a major eastern market, NS officials said in a press release.

The new service, a $64 million investment, marks a major advancement in NS' decades–long strategy to handle double–stack service across its 22-state network, they added.

The project to create the service required track and infrastructure upgrades, bridge clearance and structural improvements, and safety and signal enhancements. With the new route now open, NS anticipates significant intermodal growth in this new lane over the next two years. 

Rising consumer demand, the surge in e–commerce and expanding distribution hubs have long outpaced freight rail capacity in New England, pushing many shippers to rely heavily on trucking.

NS officials believe East Edge directly addresses that challenge by providing:
• a high–capacity rail gateway in Ayer, Massachusetts, New England's primary intermodal hub; 
• a faster, more resilient supply chain connection between Chicago and the Northeast; and
• significantly greater load flexibility and balanced network flows in the region.

"Double–stack clearances drive terminal efficiency, double train capacity and reduce operating costs," said NS Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Mike McClellan. "With East Edge, we've unlocked faster service and created room for long–term growth in one of the most important and historically constrained regions in our network."