National Gateway

The National Gateway is helping to improve the efficiency, reliability and competitive advantage of intermodal rail traffic by increasing the use of double-stack intermodal trains, creating a more efficient rail route that links mid-Atlantic ports with Midwestern consumption markets.

This award-winning public-private partnership is strengthening our nation’s economy and improving our environment through more than $850 million in freight rail infrastructure investment, a combination of contributions from CSX, the federal government and individual states. The National Gateway will create over 50,000 jobs and is supported by a broad and diverse group of 336 public- and private-sector organizations and individuals, including Big Lots!, UPS and The Limited.

Moving freight by rail reduces congestion on our nation’s highways by reducing truck miles traveled ... making highways safer and more efficient.

Every dollar of public money invested in the National Gateway creates $36 in public benefits, or $10 billion in public benefits in the route's first 30 years of operations:

Jobs

Every dollar invested in the National Gateway is creating jobs and helping to grow the nation’s economy.

• More than 50,000 jobs will be created over a 30-year period.
• Almost 10,000 jobs will be created during the initial construction phase, which is underway.

The National Gateway will create thousands of jobs during its construction phase as a result of the work needed to raise bridges, increase tunnel clearances, and build new terminals along existing rail corridors, as well as long-term jobs that will be required to support and maintain the movement of double-stacked containers on rail cars and intermodal transfers at new facilities.

Additionally, the National Gateway will help better serve our nation’s ports and stimulate economic activity in America’s port cities.

Environment

An upgraded rail system will increase U.S. railway efficiency, helping passenger and freight trains stay on schedule and enabling states to realize savings of up to $251 million in safety costs and over $660 million in pavement maintenance costs.

Rail is the most fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly form of surface transportation. The National Gateway is creating significant long-term environmental benefits by strengthening our nation’s freight rail system.

• By making existing rail routes accessible to double-stack freight trains, the National Gateway is helping to convert over 14 billion highway truck miles to freight rail.
• The National Gateway is helping to save nearly 2 billion gallons of fuel and eliminate 20 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
• Facilities built or expanded to support the National Gateway are implementing modern, high-technology operating methods, such as electric crane systems to ensure that each facility is safe and environmentally friendly.
• The environmental benefits of the National Gateway have been endorsed by environmental groups such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Conservation Fund, Ohio Environmental Council and Jones Fall Watershed.

Safety & Service

The National Gateway expands and improves freight rail service by alleviating freight bottlenecks in the Midwest that cause delays for companies and consumers shipping or receiving freight from West Coast ports. The project will reduce freight transit times by 24 to 48 hours between ports on the West Coast and major consumption centers in the East by enabling traffic to flow more efficiently through Chicago.

A double-stack rail route between mid-Atlantic ports and the Midwest markets will also free up highway capacity by creating an additional option for transporting freight. Moving freight by rail reduces congestion on our nation’s highways by reducing truck miles traveled by more than 14 billion miles, making highways safer and more efficient.