Weekly Intermodal Service Connects New Orleans and Dallas Beginning May 2018
NEW ORLEANS—April 25, 2018—Kansas City Southern (KCS) announced a new weekly service between the Port of New Orleans and Wylie, Texas (Dallas-market) beginning May 2018, relaunching intermodal service to this lane for the first time since 2005.
“The return of the Kansas City Southern weekly intermodal service helps us capture greater market share and optimize throughput, with the ultimate goal of providing the best service possible to our customers,” said Brandy D. Christian, Port of New Orleans President and CEO, and New Orleans Public Belt Railroad Corporation CEO. “This new intermodal service strengthens Port NOLA’s position as a seamless freight gateway, and we look forward to growing business with KCS.”
On February 1, 2018, Port NOLA acquired the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, a Class III switching railroad with the primary mission of serving the Port, its six Class I railroad partners and local industry. The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad improves Port NOLA’s intermodal capabilities and global competitiveness while allowing strategic investments for growth and improved service to the six Class I railroads and Port tenants. Additionally, the Mississippi River Intermodal Terminal, located at Port NOLA’s Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal, provides highly efficient options for moving cargo via rail.
“KCS is pleased to re-launch this intermodal service between New Orleans and the growing Dallas import market,” said KCS Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Brian D. Hancock. “In our continuing quest to be the most customer-focused transportation provider in North America, KCS is providing options to our customers in both the U.S. and Mexico through port services and transit options for supply chains from Asia, Latin America, and Europe.”
KCS’ David L. Starling Wylie Intermodal Terminal opened for operations in 2015, serving domestic and international intermodal customers. The Wylie Intermodal Terminal has an automated gate system with high definition imagers, optical character recognition, and biometric driver identification. It also has 1,500 parking spaces, 400 container stack spots, enhanced traffic signals, specific turn lanes, two 5,000-foot intermodal tracks, and by the end of 2018, will have an annual lift capacity of over 342,000 units.
About Kansas City Southern
Headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., Kansas City Southern (KCS) (NYSE: KSU) is a transportation holding company that has railroad investments in the U.S., Mexico, and Panama. Its primary U.S. holding is KCSR, serving the central and south central U.S. Its international holdings include Kansas City Southern de Mexico, S.A. de C.V., serving northeastern and central Mexico and the port cities of Lázaro Cárdenas, Tampico and Veracruz, and a 50 percent interest in Panama Canal Railway Company, providing ocean-to-ocean freight and passenger service along the Panama Canal. KCS’ North American rail holdings and strategic alliances are primary components of a railway network linking the commercial and industrial centers of the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
About the Port of New Orleans
The Port of New Orleans is a deep-draft multipurpose port at the center of the world’s busiest port system — Louisiana’s Lower Mississippi River. Connected to major inland markets and Canada via 14,500 miles of waterways, six Class I railroads and the interstate highway system, Port NOLA is the ideal gateway for containers and breakbulk cargo, as well as passenger cruises. A growing network of ocean carrier services, along with services like container-on- barge, make Port NOLA the superior logistics solution. On February 1, 2018, Port NOLA acquired the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, a Class III switching railroad with the primary mission of serving the Port, its six Class I railroad partners and local industry.