News
NC Ports Launches Daily, Overnight Rail Service to CSX’s ‘Carolina Connector’ via the Wilmington-Rocky Mount Express
September 8, 2023
Wilmington, N.C. – The recently launched Wilmington-Rocky Mount Express provides daily, overnight rail service between the Port of Wilmington and CSX’s new Carolina Connector (CCX) intermodal terminal in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. This new service combines the Port of Wilmington’s top-ranked productivity levels with CSX’s state-of-the-art freight handling, providing North Carolina importers and exporters direct, efficient access to northeastern North Carolina markets and the Interstate 95 corridor.
“Given the Port of Wilmington’s high vessel productivity and no on-port dwell, the Wilmington-Rocky Mount Express is unmatched for direct, reliable, and cost-effective intermodal rail access to Rocky Mount and northeastern North Carolina markets,” said Brian E. Clark, Executive Director, North Carolina State Ports Authority. “We are committed to continued collaboration with CSX to identify new inland markets in North Carolina, and beyond, that will benefit from efficient, low-cost intermodal rail service from the Port of Wilmington.”
In addition to this collaboration, customers of the Port of Wilmington also have direct rail access to midwestern markets with the recent launch of the Wilmington Midwest Express, which provides intermodal transit via the CCX terminal. These express rail services, including the Queen City Express rail service to Charlotte, led to an almost 75% year-over-year growth in intermodal rail volume, resulting in a record year for volume in Fiscal Year 2023.
“CSX values our ongoing partnership with North Carolina Ports and the State of North Carolina,” said Kevin Boone, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at CSX. “The CCX terminal is a key example of how CSX continues to create sustainable supply chain solutions for customers in Eastern North Carolina and the broader inland markets.”
CCX is strategically located on a CSX mainline northeast of Raleigh with easy access to Interstate 95. The CCX intermodal terminal is one of the most technologically advanced facilities on the CSX network with three wide-span, zero-emission electric cranes with a lift capacity of 110,000 containers per year.
The launch of the Wilmington-Rocky Mount Express is in line with NC Ports’ commitment to investing in the future. The North Carolina State Ports Authority is executing an extremely aggressive expansion plan that enables us to tailor our growth to our customers’ needs. Included in this ongoing expansion plan is a new on-dock intermodal facility that will introduce an additional 5,000 feet of working track and specialized container handling equipment at the Port of Wilmington. With no rail dwell time, matched with the highest vessel productivity in North America, North Carolina Ports is the fastest ship-to-rail service on the East Coast.
About North Carolina Ports
With deepwater port locations in Wilmington and Morehead City, plus an inland port in Charlotte and intermodal rail access through CSX’s Carolina Connector (CCX) in Rocky Mount, North Carolina Ports links the state’s consumers, business and industry to world markets and serves as magnets to attract new business and industry to the State of North Carolina. Port activities contribute statewide to more than 88,200 jobs and $660 million each year in state and local tax revenues.
North Carolina Ports continues in its commitment to meet and exceed industry standards while increasing efficiency. This commitment positioned the Port of Wilmington at the top of the latest S&P Global – World Bank Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), ranking it as the most productive port in North America and the 44th most productive globally.
