Heartland Corridor

File:Heartland Corridor.png

The Heartland Corridor is a public-private partnership between the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) and the Federal Highway Administration and three U.S. states to improve railroad freight operations.

The $150 million plan was developed to facilitate more efficient travel on NS rail lines between the Norfolk, Virginia port region and two Midwest destinations—Chicago, Illinois and Columbus, Ohio.{{cite web|url=http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=6988|title=Norfolk Southern extends Heartland Corridor's reach|publisher=Trains Magazine|date=23 June 2010|accessdate=27 June 2010}} One of the project goals was to increase clearances in tunnels to permit the operation of double-stack intermodal trains, increasing the capacity of rail lines, shortening rail journeys and reducing tractor-trailer traffic. New shipping terminals for intermodal connections are also planned for key locations.{{Cite news |title=Rail project goes through the roof |author=Dennis Cauchon |newspaper=USA Today |date=2006-10-09 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-10-09-railroad-tunnels_x.htm |accessdate=2009-12-05}}

Construction began in 2007,[http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2010/08/30/story4.html?b=1283140800%5E3863661 Norfolk Southern's Heartland Corridor rail route to Columbus finishes final link]Norfolk Southern Corporation (2007).[http://www.nscorp.com/nscportal/nscorp/Media/News%20Releases/2007/heartland.html "Raising the Roof: Norfolk Southern Begins Work on Heartland Corridor Tunnels."] Press release. 2007-11-14.Port of Virginia (2010-02-18). [http://blog.portofvirginia.com/my-blog/2010/02/heartland-corridor-on-target-for-summer-opening.html "Heartland Corridor on Target for Summer Opening."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105163140/http://blog.portofvirginia.com/my-blog/2010/02/heartland-corridor-on-target-for-summer-opening.html |date=2011-01-05 }} Norfolk, VA. and the route opened for double stack service on September 9, 2010.{{Cite news |title=Norfolk Southern opens Heartland Corridor |work=Railway Gazette International |date=2010-09-09 |url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/norfolk-southern-opens-heartland-corridor.html |access-date=2010-09-10 |archive-date=2010-09-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100912053241/http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/norfolk-southern-opens-heartland-corridor.html |url-status=dead }}

The project involved raising clearances in 28 tunnels and 24 other overhead obstacles. A total of around {{convert|5.7|mi|km}} of tunnels were modified. When completed, the new routing was expected to reduce travel times from port facilities in Virginia to Chicago to three days, improving on the previous four-day travel time and to reduce the distance traveled by {{convert|250|mi|km}}.{{cite web|title=Norfolk Southern opens Heartland Corridor|url=http://trn.trains.com/~/link.aspx?_id=99afe45f-9162-442d-a03b-12012c6e298a|publisher=Trains Magazine|accessdate=11 September 2010|date=9 September 2010}}

In June 2010, NS announced that it had reached an agreement with Ohio to extend a leg of the Heartland Corridor southwesterly from Columbus to Cincinnati, which is located on the Ohio River near the border where Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana converge. The $6.1 million cost will be funded with federal economic stimulus funds and the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments, plus money from NS.{{cite web | url=http://www.joc.com/rail-intermodal/ns-extends-intermodal-heartland-corridor-ohio | title=NS Extends Intermodal Heartland Corridor in Ohio | work=The Journal of Commerce Online | date=2010-06-23}}