Short line operator OmniTRAX has been developing a number of “rail-ready” industrial sites across the U.S. as part of a wider program to encourage potential customers to consider placing their facilities near rail-served properties.
The latest location is in the Chicago area through a partnership between OmniTRAX and the Calumet Area Industrial Commission. The parties are marketing rail sites at the Chicago Rail Link (CRL).
“The southside of Chicago is undergoing a major industrial renaissance and the CRL is playing a central role for shippers and receivers. The Calumet Area Industrial Commission is a great partner for a great market that has first-class infrastructure for any company looking for improved supply chain efficiencies,” said Ean Johnson, certified economic developer and vice president of industrial development at OmniTRAX.
There are two initial sites, totaling 156 acres, along the CRL that the partnership describes as ideal locations for automotive manufacturing (tiers 1, 2 and 4), steel fabricators and finishers, food processing and distribution and building materials suppliers.
The CRL itself provides switching and terminal services for over 72 miles of track in Chicago, and it offers customized intermediate switching services through the Chicago Terminal complex, OmniTRAX said. The CRL also serves the Port of Chicago and is the contract switching operator for CSXI at the Bedford Park Intermodal Facility.
Rail-ready sites in Virginia, Northern California
OmniTRAX also recently announced two other rail-ready sites, one in Frederick County, Virginia, and the other in San Joaquin County, California.
OmniTRAX is working with the Frederick County Economic Development Authority to identify and market rail-served sites along the Winchester and Western Railroad, which runs from from the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia to southern New Jersey.
Three sites identified so far total 182 acres and are suited for advanced manufacturing, food processing and agribusiness facilities, according to OmniTRAX. Frederick County is located in the northern Shenandoah Valley, and Interstate 81 runs through the county.
In Northern California, OmniTRAX has partnered with the San Joaquin Partnership to promote rail-ready sites along the Stockton Terminal and Eastern Railroad of the greater Stockton area. Three sites total 83 acres and they include a 65-acre parcel. The sites are suited for agriculture, manufacturing, asphalt, cement, chemicals, food processing, lumber, steel and distribution facilities.
OmniTRAX, headquartered in Denver, is an affiliate of The Broe Group, a private investment firm holding assets in real estate, transportation and energy.
Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Joanna Marsh.
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