Schneider National has announced that it will begin offering dedicated intermodal service to customers in the Ohio Valley by Monday, June 5. The new service is a collaboration between Schneider, CSX Intermodal, the Kansas City Southern railroad and the Marion, Ohio Industrial Center. Schneider says it is the first truckload carrier to offer this solution to better optimize shippers’ supply chains.
The new offering features a Schneider-operated intermodal ramp as well as dedicated trains running from Marion to Kansas City, Mo., with connecting service to California and the Southwest. The Marion operation provides capacity for shippers in the Ohio Valley and the Midwest.
Four trains will run the 700-mile route from Marion to Kansas City and back, allowing for departures six days a week in each direction — ultimately cutting up to one day from existing transit times for freight originating in this market. Schneider plans to expand the offering to include service to both Dallas and Mexico later this year, and also is exploring service to the Pacific Northwest.
“Schneider is committed to providing leading-edge solutions, quality service and great value to our customers,” says Scott Arves, president of transportation at Green Bay, Wis.-based Schneider National. “Customers have been searching for an Ohio-based intermodal service solution. Schneider’s collaboration with CSX Intermodal, Kansas City Southern and the Marion Industrial Center will enable us to provide an exciting range of services to our Ohio Valley customers, shorten the transit time to the West Coast and cut costs in their supply chains.”
This Marion train is designed to deliver cost-effective rail access, competitive transit and guaranteed capacity to shippers in time for the upcoming surge shipping season. Schneider operates the ramp and drayage to provide clients door-to-door freight control to achieve greater flexibility, visibility and better on-time service into, and out of, the Ohio Valley. The primary offering will be in containers, but trailer on flat car service also will be available.
“CSX Intermodal is meeting the rising logistics demand,” says Jim Hertwig, president of CSX Intermodal. “This solution will provide the additional capacity and the quality service that shippers need while complementing the products we already provide in this market.”
“Kansas City Southern is pleased to be part of this innovative supply chain solution that will allow shippers in the upper Ohio Valley to connect with more Midwestern, Southwestern and Mexican markets, using the shortest route miles and bypassing the busy Chicago gateway,” says Michael J. Smith, Kansas City Southern vice president of sales and marketing for the company’s intermodal and automotive business unit.
The Marion Industrial Complex offers warehousing, yard, rail and ramp facilities that provide full-service intermodal capabilities. The initial phase of this offering is designed to service the local markets between Northeastern Ohio and both Kansas City and California, but will have the potential to interline to other points, including Mexico.
“We’re thrilled to work with Schneider to bring intermodal service to Marion,” says Ted Graham, president of the Marion Industrial Center, a 200-acre industrial/logistics complex that once served as a U.S. defense depot. “Since it was constructed, this facility has served strategic logistics functions and will now continue that role with the introduction of modern intermodal capabilities. We’ve put millions into improvements at the Marion Industrial Center, so that today, with eight miles of rail in our center, ample buildings and greenfield space in and near the center, we are prepared to serve any customer’s needs.”
