This article is taken from the October 19, 2023 USDA Grain Transportation Report.
According to an October 9 article from the Journal of Commerce (JOC), Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) has expanded service for Midwest container shipments bound for ports on the West Coast. NS’s intermodal terminals are open 7 days a week in Cincinnati and Columbus, OH; 6 days a week in Cleveland, OH, and Louisville, KY; and 5 days a week in Detroit, MI. From early 2022 until the recent service expansion, service on these lanes to the West Coast were open 3 days per week.
This enhanced service should expand the market opportunities for containerized grain exporters in the eastern Corn Belt States. According to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics, all three States where NS has enhanced service (Ohio, Kentucky, and Michigan) are expected to produce more corn and soybeans in 2023 compared to last year and the prior 5-year average.