![“We are excited to announce the [Decatur] location of our second inland rail facility in Alabama, furthering our dedication to advancing logistics infrastructure in the region,” Alabama Port Authority Director and CEO John Driscoll said Feb. 7. (Alabama Port Authority Photograph)](https://www.v2.railwayage.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/apa-1024x576.png)
The Alabama Port Authority on Feb. 23 reported rebranding and launching Mobile America Express (MAX), a service platform to help “strengthen the Port’s role as a catalyst for economic development statewide and promote Alabama’s strategic position in the global supply chain.” Rail-served, its Terminal Railway Alabama State Docks (TASD) provides access to five Class I’s.
“As Alabama’s only deep-water seaport and the gateway to a growing network of inland logistics assets, the Alabama Port Authority supports industries, communities, and jobs statewide,” it said. “From farmers in the Black Belt to manufacturers in North Alabama and distribution centers in Central Alabama, the Port connects local businesses to national and international markets. The new MAX initiative and logo will serve to emphasize not just the Port’s strengths, but Alabama’s advantages in logistics, developable properties, and workforce capabilities.”
MAX organizes the Port’s multimodal capabilities into a single, coordinated platform. Deep-water access in Mobile connects with rail (BNSF, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, CN, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Alabama & Gulf Coast, CG Railway, and Alabama Export), inland waterways, highways, airports and intermodal facilities. That connectivity “strengthens rural exports, supports advanced manufacturing, attracts distribution investment, and reinforces Alabama’s position as a logistics leader in the Southeast,” according to the Alabama Port Authority.
The Alabama Port Authority includes the Port of Mobile’s Blakeley Island Terminal in the Upper Harbor; Alabama Steel Terminals and AutoMobile International RO/RO Terminal at the Main Docks; and Cold Storage, a Container Terminal, an Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF), a Logistics Park, McDuffle Coal Terminal, and Pinto Steel Terminal in the Lower Harbor (download map below). Its Middle Bay Port includes a Liquid Bulk Terminal (download map below).
The Alabama Port Authority and CSX in early 2025 kicked off construction on the $100 million, 272-acre Montgomery Intermodal Container Transfer Facility, which is expected to open in 2027. Designed to reduce congestion at the Port of Mobile and provide an alternate shipping option for existing Port customers in central Alabama, it will offer 25,016 feet of track served by CSX Intermodal and handle 60,000 TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units).
“Our responsibility is not limited to the waterfront in Mobile,” Alabama Port Authority Director and CEO Doug Otto said. “We are Alabama’s port—serving all 67 counties—and our infrastructure supports economic opportunity in every corner of our state. This new focus highlights our strongest assets—the deepest port in the Gulf, unparalleled connectivity through rail, highways, and inland waterways, and a workforce that can surpass businesses’ needs today and in the future.”
“Through this brand evolution and the launch of MAX, the message is clear: Alabama’s port belongs to the entire state and its benefits reach far beyond the Gulf Coast,” Otto concluded.
