The new BNSF Railway intermodal facility is five miles west of Salt Lake City International Airport. (Photo courtesy BNSF)
A new intermodal facility in Salt Lake City has raised hopes that goods moving into, out of or through the area will do so in a much smoother manner, and boost the economy along the way.
Executives from freight transportation company BNSF Railway, in partnership with Patriot Rail and the Utah Inland Port Authority, and government officials recently gathered to celebrate the new facility’s present and future capabilities. Intermodal facilities switch shipping containers among different modes of transport — for example, from truck to rail — without unpacking the contents.
Located five miles from Salt Lake City International Airport, the facility’s 43-acre site in the city’s Northwest Quadrant will be used in conjunction with BNSF’s new intermodal service between California and Salt Lake City. The service operates in close coordination with Patriot Rail, which will provide terminal operations and infrastructure support at the Salt Lake facility.
Based in Texas, BNSF operates approximately 32,500 route miles of track in 28 states and also operates in three Canadian provinces. Patriot Rail is a short line and regional rail service provider in the U.S., with 31 short line railroads; three excursion railroads; and support services for customers, including transloading, railcar storage, and real estate and logistics planning and assistance. Florida-based Patriot Rail operates over 1,200 miles with a presence in 24 states, including the Salt Lake Garfield & Western Railway and the Utah Central Railway in Ogden.
“This expansion is a huge win for logistics,” Abby Osborne, board chair for the Utah Inland Port Authority, said at the event. “It’s an advantage for Utah’s economy. It gives our businesses more access to markets, more access to move goods across the state, as well as across the country and across the world.”
Brandy Christian, Patriot Rail’s CEO, noted that the facility’s construction took fewer than 100 days but the idea had been discussed for a decade.
“This has been a vision that has been over a decade in the making, and it truly is a pivotal moment for the state of Utah,” she said. “It really enhances the competitiveness of this market and your place in freight logistics.” Tom Williams, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of BNSF, said the facility is “an exciting opportunity to improve our capacity and efficiency as the industry’s intermodal leader, providing more flexible, competitive options for our customers” while strengthening supply chains “from the West Coast to Utah and beyond.”
Gov. Spencer Cox said the facility is an example of the state’s commitment to build for the future for children and grandchildren.
“Smart infrastructure like this improves daily lives for every Utahn,” Cox said. “It means lower costs at the grocery store, more reliable delivery of critical goods, and a stronger economy rooted right here in our own backyard. By expanding our intermodal capacity, we’re doing more than just moving freight. We’re strengthening Utah’s role in the global supply chain, and boosting our competitiveness for manufacturing and economic development.”
The ability to transport goods is vital to having a strong manufacturing sector, he said. “Every shipping container that reaches Utah more efficiently means more opportunity for our rural producers, our urban manufacturers and the workers who keep our state running.”
Utah Senate President Stuart Adams said the facility will empower communities, boost the state’s economy and enhance its long-term competitiveness.
Like in 1869 with the Intercontinental Railroad, rail companies have come together, he said, with supply chains, manufacturing and the economy being transformed. And Utah benefits from those railroads’ proximity to the airport, he said.
“It gives us competitive manufacturing,” he said. “It gives us the ability to ship our products — like life sciences, agriculture and retail — around the world. The story of rail in Utah isn’t finished. In fact, I believe it’s just begun.”
The facility’s partners will “create a freight solution tailored to Utah’s future,” Osborne said.
“And the timing couldn’t be better as you look to strengthen the domestic supply chains, grow our advanced marketing sector and meet the needs of a dynamic market,” she said. “This expanded service positions Utah at the center of it all.”