Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Secretary-designee Craig Thompson today congratulated Canadian National Railway (CN) for a new inland shipping terminal in New Richmond that is set to open on March 1, 2021.
“This facility brings competitive container shipping to northwest Wisconsin, which is vital for farmers and other businesses to meet growing global markets for high-quality goods,” Thompson said. “Intermodal freight transportation is a top WisDOT priority, and I am pleased to see this project move forward in New Richmond.”
CN spans Canada and reaches through the Midwest on its way to Louisiana. It transports more than 300 million tons of goods throughout North America every year.
In Wisconsin, CN has:
- Capital investments over the last five years totaling approximately $970 million
- More than 1,400 jobs
- 1,428 miles of rail
The intermodal facility in New Richmond allows freight in shipping containers to move between rail and truck transport. Intermodal rail stations give the option of moving more freight over rail lines, rather than trucking it, which can save fuel and reduce highway congestion.
WisDOT’s Freight Advisory Committee created an intermodal transportation group, which began meeting in 2018. The Intermodal subcommittee published “Overview of Intermodal Freight” in March 2019, and Intermodal Summits convened in Milwaukee and Appleton in November 2019. The work of the intermodal group and the Freight Advisory Committee is ongoing.
