The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) and the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) have announced that intermodal rail volumes are up more than 15 per cent year-to-date (YTD) when comparing January through May.
Rail represents approximately 33 per cent of Port NOLA and NOPB’s consolidated annual revenue.
Port NOLA’s Mississippi River Intermodal Terminal located within the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal complex offers on-dock access to the port’s six Class I rail partners via the NOPB, a class-III Short-line Railroad.
One of the six Class I railroads, CN, offers regular intermodal service to and from Memphis, Chicago, Detroit as well as Toronto and Montreal.
The CPKC offers intermodal service to and from the Dallas/Fort Worth market, utilised by retail importers as a cost-competitive gateway option and by ocean carriers to reposition empty equipment to meet NOLA’s export demand.
Last month, the Port of New Orleans also registered record container growth. Port NOLA moved a total of 133,845 TEU during the third quarter of fiscal year 2024 representing a 19 per cent increase year over year and a record quarter with container volume not seen since the supply chain issues of 2021.
“Port NOLA is building momentum as the Gulf’s Gateway to middle America,” said Port NOLA Acting President & CEO and Acting NOPB CEO, Ronald Wendel, Jr.
“Our ability to provide innovative supply chain solutions for shippers looking to diversify their trade lanes is undeniable.
“We are on track to grow this service even more while simultaneously continuing to provide efficient and reliable options for moving freight by river, rail, and road.”
READ: Port NOLA announces record container growth
“Port NOLA is the only deep-water port in the United States that is connected to all of North America’s six Class I railroads through the NOPB,” said NOPB General Manager Tomeka Bryant.
“This unparalleled connection is a tremendous asset for customers as these railroads comprise a 132,000-plus mile network of track that tie the Port of New Orleans and the global supply chain directly to every U.S. market and Canada.”
More recently, the Louisiana Legislature’s 2024 regular session allocated $230.5 million to the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) for infrastructure projects.
