OmniTRAX expands rail-ready program to Chicago Rail Link

OmniTRAX Inc. is working with the Calumet Area Industrial Commission (CAIC) to launch the Rail-Ready Sites program at the Chicago Rail Link (CRL).

OmniTRAX and CAIC are marketing existing rail-served sites along the CRL and working to add more, OmniTRAX officials said in a press release.

The initial two sites, which total 156 acres, are "ideal" locations for automotive manufacturing, steel fabricators and finishers, food processing and distribution, and building materials suppliers, they said.

CRL provides switching and terminal services for more than 72 miles of track in Chicago, and customized intermediate switching services through the Chicago Terminal Complex. In addition to serving the Port of Chicago, CRL is the contract switching operator for CSX Intermodal Terminals at Bedford Park.

"The south side of Chicago is undergoing a major industrial renaissance and the CRL is playing a central role for shippers and receivers," said Ean Johnson, vice president of industrial development at OmniTRAX.

The Rail-Ready Sites program connects shippers looking to maximize supply chain performance with rail-served properties.