UP starts construction of San Antonio intermodal terminal
Union Pacific has begun construction of a $90 million intermodal terminal outside of San Antonio.
The railroad said the terminal is located strategically between rail lines traveling to and from the West Coast and Mexico, and will be used to ship and receive containers and trailers with household goods and other items supporting retailers and distribution centers, as well as auto parts for the new Toyota plant in San Antonio.
The railroad said the terminal would begin processing more than 100,000 trailers with future growth potential of 250,000 trailers and containers per year.
UP expects construction of the new facility — being built on 300 acres within 1,500 acres acquired between Old Pearsall Road, Interstate 35, and loop 410 — to be completed in late 2008.
The railroad said the facility outside the busy city would provide an alternative for the more than 80,000 semi trucks that currently have to travel to rail yards within the San Antonio city limits to pick up or drop off containers and trailers.
The new terminal will also reduce truck traffic on Interstate 10 through San Antonio and to Houston by allowing trucks the option to drop off their containers in San Antonio instead of Houston. UP said that due a lack of intermodal capacity in San Antonio, some trucks currently have to go through San Antonio to Houston to drop off their containers for trains bound for other destinations.
UP also said train traffic will be more fluid as additional rail capacity is developed in the area. Trucks and automobiles will access the terminal through a convenient entrance located at I-35.
First Industrial Realty Trust Inc. and 4M Realty are developing the facility for UP.
UP said the new facility will use a combination of advanced computer systems and technology to coordinate all movement of rail cars, trucks, trailers and containers. Because of this technology, a truck entering or leaving the facility will be stopped at the gate for only 30 to 45 seconds, compared to the national average of four minutes, the railroad said.