The first rail-served intermodal container ramp has officially opened in the Twin Ports of Duluth, MN and Superior, WI. The opening is a result of a new collaboration between CN Railway and Duluth Cargo Connect.
Duluth Cargo Connect will operate the rail-served intermodal facility at the port’s Clure Public Marine Terminal. Duluth Cargo Connect is a working partnership between the Duluth Seaway Port Authority and Lake Superior Warehousing.
The intermodal facility enables containers to be transferred between trucks and rail cars, allowing goods to be more efficiently transported in and out of the region. CN and Duluth Cargo Connect anticipate that cargo using the new facility will reach their destinations faster and at a lower cost, as exporters can now bypass congested urban ramps.
“For North Dakota exporters, this opens up trade lanes to all three coasts in North America,” said Kate Ferguson, Direct of Business Development at the Port of Duluth. “We’re able to get North Dakota’s specialty grains, IP products and all other commodities exported year-round using CN’s direct rail lines to Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf of Mexico ports.”
CN’s executive vice-president and chief marketing officer, JJ Ruest, said in a press release, “CN’s innovative partnership with Duluth Cargo Connect opens up a new logistics supply chain and growth opportunities for the port’s partners and shippers in the region. CN is pleased to bring its extensive contacts in international markets, freight-forwarding knowledge, and customs and marketing support to the Twin Ports.”
CN operates rail lines that service the ports of Prince Rubert and Vancouver on the Pacific Coast; Quebec City, Saint John, Halifax, and Belledune on the Atlantic Coast; and New Orleans and Mobile on the Gulf Coast.
Shipping containers from coastal ports will arrive in Duluth by CN’s rail network. The shipping containers can then be used by Twin Ports exporters to ship their goods internationally. CN and Duluth Cargo Connect began serving import and export markets in March.