The New Intermodal Facility will construct a state of the art, dedicated and safe area for loading and discharging intermodal rail trains on the Port. Without this investment, the Port’s intermodal activity is capped at 14,000 intermodal rail movements annually. With the investment, the capacity increases to 50,000 intermodal rail movements annually; allowing NC Ports to better support the regional need to move freight from the coast to the hinterlands. In 2023, the Port are forecasted to move more than 343,113 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), with rail accounting for 5.4% of those moves. With the implementation of the project, by 2040 the percentage of moves is projected to grow to 7.5 percent, or more than 50,000 rail container moves annually. The project is aligned with RAISE program goals, providing more than $86.5 million in monetized benefits with a 4.8 benefit cost ratio by shifting container movements from truck to rail. 

The proposed project will construct a state of the art, dedicated, and safe area for loading and discharging containers on and off the rail at the port to reduce vehicle miles traveled and support efficient transportation design. The project will construct four dedicated rail sidings, each 1,250 feet in length, to allow the Port to form and service the container trains. Paving of approximately 9.7 acres around the rail sidings will provide storage and transfer areas on both sides of the new rail tracks. Three specialized and dedicated reach stackers will be deployed to load/unload rail cars with extra reach for the inner rail track. A secured area near the US Customs & Border Protection (CBP) required Radiation Portals will provide for secondary inspections to allow for safe and secure loading and discharge of container boxes (to and from trains) in the container yard. Technology system enhancements that would allow the port to convert to electric port vehicles and equipment, improved yard lighting, removal of a small and unusable section rail track, and specialized paving for future Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) installation will future ready the site for fully automated container rail activities.

The New Intermodal Facility supports both regional and national economic vitality, supporting safe and cost-effective freight movement options for Port customers in both urban and rural communities. This project meets the administration’s goals: reducing greenhouse gas emissions with elements to address climate change impacts, promotes energy efficiency, supports efficient transportation design and systems, incorporates future electrification port vehicles, increases resilience, incorporates lower-carbon construction materials, and reduces pollution while creating sustainable economic opportunities and the creation of good jobs while addressing environmental justice and racial equity.​