USA: The Port of Virginia has launched a daily CSX rail service to Indianapolis, giving importers a five-day direct route to central Indiana without transferring freight through Chicago.

Aerial view of Norfolk International Terminals with container stacks and rail tracks
Norfolk International Terminals at the Port of Virginia. Illustrative photo. Photo: formulanone, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Five-day route bypasses Chicago transfers

The Port of Virginia announced that the service runs daily with a total transit time of five days. CSX carries containers directly into Indianapolis, providing an alternative to routing through Chicago followed by a truck movement south.

“CSX serves Indianapolis directly, which allows containers to move by rail into the market rather than routing through Chicago and trucking back south,” CSX director of media relations Austin Staton told Supply Chain Dive.

The direct option is aimed at shippers with distribution operations in central Indiana. Indianapolis is served by Class I railroads and sits at the intersection of Interstates 65, 69, 70 and 74. Port spokesperson Joe Harris said the highway network places roughly 75% to 80% of the U.S. population within a one-day drive of the city.

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Port extends its Midwest rail network

The port’s rail network already offers on-dock, double-stack service through both CSX and Norfolk Southern. Existing inland routes include Cleveland and Columbus in Ohio, Kansas City and Chicago, while the new CSX connection adds direct access to Indianapolis.

Double-stack service carries containers in two levels on specialized railcars. Harris said both Class I carriers connect the port with established Midwest manufacturing and population centers.

$83 million rail expansion supports added capacity

The Indianapolis launch follows the port’s completed $83 million Central Rail Yard expansion at Norfolk International Terminals. According to the port’s official project update, the work added two track bundles and three all-electric rail-mounted gantry cranes.

The project increased annual on-dock rail capacity by 455,000 TEUs, or 31% port-wide, and gave the Port of Virginia capacity to process 2 million rail TEUs annually. Construction began in 2022, and the expanded yard became fully operational in August 2024.

Harris reported average rail dwell of 35 to 49 hours. The port and CSX did not disclose an expected container volume for the Indianapolis service.

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