Eastern Class I railroad CSX and the Georgia Ports Authority are offering an intermodal service that will run seven days a week and provide a direct rail connection between the Port of Savannah and CSX’s intermodal terminal in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

The service, which will have a ship-to-shore time of about three days, connects GPA’s Mason Mega Rail terminal in Savannah with the CSX Carolina Connector (CCX) terminal in Rocky Mount, according to an announcement Thursday about the new service.

Both entities touted the benefits of the partnership for importers and exporters. While the Mason Mega Rail terminal is the largest intermodal facility on a port in the Americas, according to GPA, CCX has easy access to Interstate 95 and three wide-span, zero-emission electric cranes. CCX also has technology that automates the in-gate process for trucks. 

“This is an exciting logistics solution for existing and new customers across North Carolina,” GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch said in Thursday’s news release. “In collaboration with CSX, we’re offering daily access and faster service, bringing world-class port services to the doorstep of the area’s business and industry.”

Said Kevin Boone, CSX’s (NASDAQ: CSX) executive vice president of sales and marketing: “The integration of GPA’s On-Dock Rail and the Inland Port at CCX signifies a leap forward in providing efficient, sustainable, and dynamic rail-to-truck inland port container service for our customers. Through this strategic collaboration with the Georgia Ports Authority and our ongoing partnership with the State of North Carolina and North Carolina Ports, CSX is charting a new course in logistics excellence.”

In addition to the assets at Mason Mega Rail and CCX, exporters and importers can take advantage of the Port of Savannah’s new Garden City Terminal West yard, which has longer-term storage options, according to GPA. 

“The GCT West yard allows importers to store retail goods or manufacturing components until they are needed, without the need to pay demurrage,” Flavio Batista, GPA’s vice president of sales and marketing, said. “Similarly, exporters will be able to pre-stage their cargo on-terminal to await vessel loading.”

At Rocky Mount, customers have gate access seven days a week to pick up or drop off containers on chassis, according to the release. 

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