5 Benefits of Intermodal Shipping

CHOOSING A RAIL-SERVED SITE

Norfolk Southern’s Industrial Development team can help you choose the right rail-served site to optimize your supply chain, ensuring efficient logistics and cost balance.

Steps to Selecting the Right Rail-Served Site

Choosing the right rail-served site requires optimizing your supply chain, ensuring efficient logistics and cost balance. Key factors are proximity to markets, access to transportation networks, and cost efficiency. The Norfolk Southern Industrial Development team can help your business identify various options to support key site selection needs.

1. Conducting a Needs Assessment

Successful site selection starts with identifying specific business requirements that align with customer needs. Norfolk Southern helps you pinpoint those requirements and set clear site objectives. Our Industrial Development team uses a data-driven approach, collaborating with regional and state partners for comprehensive site selection.

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Shipping containers in rail yard Industry Balanced Regulation

2. Researching Potential Rail-Served Sites

In addition to working with you to connect with state and regional economic development agencies, NSites is available with a searchable directory of hundreds of industrial sites and transload locations across 22 states. Our options can accommodate many variations of goods, equipment needs and storage space – just let us know what you need

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Conducting a needs assessment

3. Site Visits and Evaluations

This part of the process includes thorough site inspections that assess physical and logistical attributes, RFI evaluation, and more. Norfolk Southern conducts thorough site inspections, and collaborates with states to navigate details. We evaluate the feasibility of building rail and provide visuals to ensure that a site meets your company needs, eliminating guesswork. We also consider essential infrastructure like transmission lines and natural gas.

Rail Served Site

Our industrial development managers who are local experts in the states we serve, guide site visits and evaluations. They understand the network and site specifics, evaluating multiple options to support informed decisions. And we always aim to move at the speed of your business.

Learn more about Rail-Served Site Location Services

4. Engaging Freight Transport Stakeholders

When selecting your site, you’ll want to engage with stakeholders like local government and business leaders. Norfolk Southern will partner with you in this effort, collaborating with internal teams, external advisors, and industrial development managers to support site readiness and promotion. Committed to the growth of 22 states, NS aims to be your ally in all aspects of comprehensive logistics solutions, considering input from logistics partners and rail carriers.

Industrial Development Team
Conducting a needs assessment

5. Negotiating Terms and Finalizing the Selection

After site selection and preparation, it’ll be time to complete the deal and get across the finish line. Norfolk Southern negotiates leases, purchases, and service agreements, ensuring that all legal and regulatory requirements are met. For NS-owned sites, each opportunity is creatively evaluated on its merits. We partner with your company throughout the process, ensuring the best chances for success.

 

If rail needs to be built or modified at your site, our team will partner with you to carefully navigate the process of connecting your business to rail.

Negotiating Terms and Finalizing the Selection

Key Resources

Specifications for Industry Tracks

Norfolk Southern offers standards for design and construction of privately owned tracks.

SPECS FOR RAIL TRACK

NSites

Explore 800+ available sites served by Norfolk Southern — from three acres to 3,000 acres.

FIND RAIL-SERVED SITES

Industrial Property with Rail Access

Norfolk Southern can recommend appropriate rail-served sites, based on your supply chain and site development requirements.

MEET THE TEAM

Tell Us More About Your Project

Norfolk Southern’s Industrial Development team can be a strong partner in site planning and marketing for rail-served sites.

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Calculate Carbon Savings

Explore how much your company could reduce its carbon emissions by shipping with Norfolk Southern.  

CARBON CALCULATOR FOR RAIL

Get Help Choosing a Site

Learn more about how to choose a site, including factors to consider, and how Norfolk Southern can assist you in the process.

CHOOSING A RAIL-SERVED SITE

Start an Industrial Development Project

Norfolk Southern can be a strong ally in site planning and marketing for rail-served industrial sites.

Tell us more about your project.

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