JAXPORT Rail Terminal opens

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Per Trains:

http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2016/04/14-military-exercise-marks-first-train-at-floridas-newest-intermodal-terminal

Military exercise marks first train at Florida's newest intermodal terminal




April 14, 2016

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Instead of handling commercial intermodal containers, Florida's newest intermodal facility is collaborating with the U.S. Army to move more than 800 military vehicles, equipment pieces, and containers as part of a training program.

The U.S. military is using the Jacksonville Port Authority's $30 million JAXPORT Intermodal Container Transfer Facility for a high-level training exercise in advance of its official opening to intermodal customers later this year. The authority is partnering with multiple U.S. Army units, including the Jacksonville-based 832nd Transportation Battalion for exercises aimed at expediting the movement of ocean-bound military cargo.

According to a Port Authority news release, uniformed Army personnel will move equipment from the state-of-the-art facility onto a nearby transport ship this month. The facility allows cargo to move directly between ships and trains, the authority says.

The facility received its first unit train of U.S. Army equipment earlier this week from CSX Transportation. The JAXPORT facility is one of 17 U.S. strategic seaports on-call to move military cargo for national defense, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief.