Schneider National Inc., national railroad executives and elected officials gathered in Marion, Ohio, last week to celebrate the arrival of dedicated train service to manufacturers and businesses in the Ohio River Valley.

The new service, a collaboration between Schneider, CSX Intermodal Inc., the Kansas City Southern railroad and the Marion, Ohio Industrial Center, makes Schneider the first truckload carrier to offer this unique solution to improve shippers’ supply chains.
“Shippers in the Ohio Valley were looking for reliable, committed capacity,” said Chris Lofgren, president and CEO at Schneider National. “We thank the railroads and the Marion Industrial Center for collaborating with us to deliver a solution that not only quadruples intermodal capacity in the region, but further establishes our position as a leader in the industry.”
According to Bill Matheson, vice president and general manager of Intermodal for Schneider National, the new offering features a Schneider-operated intermodal ramp as well as dedicated trains running six days a week from Marion, Ohio, to Kansas City, Mo., with connecting service to California and the Southwest. The service will ultimately cut up to one day from existing transit times for freight originating in this market. Schneider plans to expand the offering to include service to both Dallas and Mexico later this year, and is also exploring service to the Pacific Northwest.
“The congested Chicago gateway was burdening shippers’ supply chains, and with this solution we have enabled them to improve service levels, cut costs and expand their market reach,” said Matheson. “Since the launch of the new service on June 5, we have seen strong initial demand which we expect will grow with the upcoming shipping surge season.”