RALEIGH, N.C. — CSX Corp. will build an intermodal cargo hub near the Virginia border in Edgecombe County after landowner opposition blocked the railroad company’s first option, officials said Tuesday.
The CSX hub would transfer 260,000 cargo containers per year between railroad cars and trucks, with connections to North Carolina ports. CSX will invest $160 million in the project.
North Carolina will spend about $100 million for track improvements and other transportation infrastructure, plus tax breaks worth up to $4 million. About 150 new jobs are expected, though state officials projected the hub could to lead to 10 times that many across the state.
The hub “will enhance connections among suppliers and buyers in a way that spins off exciting opportunities for job growth throughout North Carolina,” state Commerce Secretary John Skvarla said in a prepared statement.
The terminal near Rocky Mount will be the railroad’s southern hub, a freight destination where cargo will be sorted and re-routed for delivery, similar to airlines sending passengers to a hub airport for connecting flights to their destinations, CSX spokeswoman Kristin Seay said in an email.
CSX announced in January that it planned to build the cargo hub south of Raleigh in Johnston County. That plan was scratched after landowners opposed the prospect of being forced to sell their property.
Jacksonville, Florida-based CSX last week reported a nearly 20 percent drop in second-quarter profit to $445 million as freight volume slowed 9 percent.
Original article can be found at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/csx-lands-site-for-cargo-terminal-after-1st-pick-blocked/2016/07/19/0eadfc90-4dc2-11e6-bf27-405106836f96_story.html