Port introduces ‘Queen City Express’ rail service

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Intermodal rail service returns to the Port of Wilmington next week.

The ports and CSX will begin a daily rail service between Wilmington and Charlotte. This double stacked train, dubbed the Queen City Express, marks the official return of intermodal rail to North Carolina Ports.

“The Queen City Express provides premier rail service over competing ports for existing and future container customers in one of the most significant economic centers in the Southeastern United States,” said Executive Director Paul J. Cozza. “In addition, further establishing our inland terminal helps answer the request of many cargo owners asking for improved connectivity to international markets.”

According to a news release, the Queen City Express is one of the fastest and most direct rail services into and out of the Greater Charlotte region from a port in the U.S. Southeast. This regularly scheduled service offers the availability of containers at the Charlotte Intermodal Terminal owned by North Carolina Ports. The train also provides connectivity for each and every container service currently calling on the Port of Wilmington.

“This service, dovetailed with the investment that CSX is making in Rocky Mount, is a testament to our dedication to the State of North Carolina and North Carolina Ports,” said Dean Piacente, Vice President of CSX Intermodal. “In addition to the connection to Charlotte, CSX will also provide future access to a transformational, state-of-the-art intermodal rail terminal in Eastern North Carolina – the Carolina Connector.”

The Carolina Connector (CCX), announced last summer in Rocky Mount, will serve as a key transportation hub in the Southeast for containerized freight. The port says CCX along with the Queen City Express will lower transportation costs for businesses while taking trucks off the road, thus reducing emissions. One intermodal train can take as many as 280 trucks off the road, improving road safety and minimizing wear and tear on the State’s highways.

The new intermodal service starts July 28.