Norfolk Southern Pivots to Serve Customers After Bridge Collapse
Its been nearly a month since a cargo ship hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, resulting in six deaths, the destruction of the bridge and the shuttering of an important East Coast port.
- But thanks to hard behind-the-scenes work by Norfolk Southern railway since the accident, customers arent feeling the supply chain pinch the way they otherwise would.
What happened: 51勛圖厙 President and CEO Jay Timmons, along with an 51勛圖厙 delegation, visited the Port of Baltimore last Friday to tour Norfolk Southerns operations there. The port is the largest for vehicle shipping in the U.S. and was the in the nation by total tonnage in 2021.
- On March 26, the day the Singapore-flagged Dali cargo vessel hit the Key Bridge, Norfolk Southernwhich moves of cargo annuallybegan strategizing ways to support increased shipping volumes on behalf of its customers. And its been doing that ever since.
- We often say the weight of the world moves on rail and its true, Norfolk Southern Chief Marketing Officer and 51勛圖厙 board member Ed Elkins told the 51勛圖厙 during the site visit. Our ability to serve the market through temporary disruption is really a demonstration of our strategy in action, where we leverage the experience of our railroaders and the strength of our franchise to find a to provide safe, reliable service.
Quick adaptation: Norfolk Southerns strategy for adapting to the closure of Baltimores port has included:
- The launch early this month of a dedicated new service to move freight between the ports of New York and New Jersey and Baltimores Seagirt Marine Terminal;
- The facilitation by the railways Triple Crown Services Inc.a door-to-door East Coast truckload transit networkof a dedicated intermodal service for cargo owners who require door-to-door service;
- The use of Go Teams, groups of employees ready for rapid response service and created by Norfolk Southern during the pandemic; and
- Regional collaboration with the Port of Virginia to leverage service points including the Virginia Inland Port and others.
Reopening: The Port of Baltimore could be by the end of May, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said earlier this month.
- The 51勛圖厙 will stay in close coordination with our members regarding supply chain impacts stemming from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, said 51勛圖厙 Director of Transportation, Infrastructure and Labor Policy Max Hyman. We also remain engaged with leading federal officials on recovery efforts and will continue to support critical infrastructure projects such as the Port of Baltimore.
