UP
The Twin Cities Intermodal Terminal in Minneapolis, Minn., saw 2024 volumes grow 94% over the prior-year period, UP reported recently in the Inside Track section of its website. And there is “ample capacity” for future expansion, the railroad noted.
Since opening in January 2021, the terminal has provided regional shippers with direct service to and from major Pacific Northwest and California markets, including Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, and Oakland, according to UP, which touts “the largest intermodal network in North America, with the most direct services from coast to coast.”
The Twin Cities Intermodal Terminal is located at 525 Kasota Avenue SE, “the heart of Minneapolis,” and UP said it “plays a vital role in transporting consumer goods bound for Twin Cities retailers, as well as Midwest-grown agricultural products destined for international markets.”
Construction began last year on a new UP intermodal terminal in Kansas City, Mo., which will serve both domestic and international containerized shipments of grains, consumer goods, refrigerated products, and pet foods. It is expected to open in mid-2025, adding capacity to UP’s current Kansas City operation.
Located west of downtown on existing UP property (Armourdale Yard), the Kansas City Intermodal Terminal will provide customers in the growing markets of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska access to UP’s 23-state network, including ocean ports on the West Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. It will also “accommodate significant future expansion,” according to the Class I railroad, as well as “help to convert more truck traffic to rail, reduce congestion on the nation’s highways, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.”
UP in May 2021 launched the Inland Empire Intermodal Terminal in Southern California, and in February 2024 opened a terminal within its downtown Phoenix, Ariz., rail yard.
CN
“At CN, safety is always the undisputed champion, and the Winnipeg Engineering team is keeping it front and center with a fun, competitive twist!” the Canadian Class I railroad reported via social media on March 18.
Enter the Safety Champion belt, which CN called “a heavyweight symbol of commitment to safety, teamwork, and looking out for each other.” The belt gets passed every month to a new titleholder, “ready to defend the team’s winning streak of keeping safety first,” according to the railroad, which said that the “reigning champ hands off the belt during the job safety briefing, sharing why their colleague deserves it.”
In related news, BNSF and UP recently recognized the honorees of their separate Safety Bell Award programs for 2024.
