Indiana grain and soybeans are on the fast track to China, thanks to a new rain system based in Indianapolis. Earlier this year, the Indiana Rail Road Co. and the CN Railway announced an agreement to offer Indiana importers and exporters a new West Coast rail connection for containerized products moving to/from Asia. Containers that bring products from Asia to Indiana are going back full of agricultural commodities. Steve Patton with Midwest Commodities is using the new rail facility in Indianapolis to ship grain onto the world market, “We can ships these containers directly from Indianapolis to Canada and then onto West Coast ports for delivery to Asia.”
Patton says this system is fast, efficient, and growing, “The grown opportunity in Indianapolis is fantastic.” The combination of containers and direct rail access to western ports lets small grain merchandisers in the Midwest ship onto the world market, “You now provide an opportunity for small and mid-range companies in the interior who don’t have export facilities to compete on the world market.”
Patton says this system is also shipping processed Hoosier food products, “Indiana also produces many processed products like soymeal, corn fructose, and ethanol that can be shipped in these containers.”
The new rail system will be the highlight of a major transportation conference to be held next week in Indianapolis. Top executives from Indiana Rail Road, CN Railway, East and West Coast ports, global shipping experts, and top Indiana intermodal users will be discussing the “game-changing” economic benefits of this service. Governor Pence will keynote the conference and officially open the new intermodal rail terminal that will create a “Gateway to Asia” for Hoosier businesses. “Establishing a new intermodal rail service will further enhance the connection between Indiana and Asia,” said the Governor. “I would like to applaud the combined efforts of CN Railway and the Indiana Rail Road to open a new intermodal terminal that will provide direct service from Indiana to Asia, resulting in significant time savings and a positive economic impact for the regional companies who use this service. Those companies include everything from clothing manufacturers to agricultural businesses.” Following the Summit’s keynote address on Oct. 10, Gov. Pence will join business leaders at Indiana Rail Road’s intermodal terminal on Senate Avenue less than a mile south of Lucas Oil Stadium. There the Governor will officially open the new intermodal gateway to Asia and the world.
Because of the importance of intermodal transportation to Indiana businesses, both days of the Indiana Logistics Summit will be devoted to discussions of how this service could change the state landscape for freight transportation, create new export opportunities for manufacturers and agribusiness, and generate major economic developments throughout Indiana.
