Service to all corners of the country without interchange
Home to six fully-functioning rail terminals
Industrial growth strengthened by intermodal capacity and proximity to suppliers
Local carrier TRRA owns several key regional rail routes
The St. Louis region is the third largest rail hub in the U.S., linking six Class I, local and short line railroads:
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BNSF |
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CN |
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CSX |
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KCS |
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NS |
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UP |
The region serves all corners of the U.S. without the need for railroad interchange. Our barge/rail transload services provide supply-chain options for shipments to and from both Houston and New Orleans. These connections allow delivery of freight from Houston to St. Louis for distribution anywhere else. Additionally, agricultural products from points in the Midwest can be delivered to New Orleans for export.
The region’s intermodal capabilities and rail proximity to customers and suppliers continue to play an important role in our distribution center and manufacturing growth rate. Rail freight shipments within the St. Louis region can be placed directly on the BNSF and Union Pacific (UP) railroads for westbound transport, or on the Norfolk Southern and CSX for shipments destined east of the Mississippi River.
Intermodal Rates
Our intermodal rates from St. Louis to Eastern U.S. markets provide a rail transit-time advantage over competing logistics hubs to the west.
North/South Rail Service
Midwest north/south rail service to the Gulf, Canada and Mexico is largely provided by the CN, the KCS, and the UP.
Switching and Terminal Railroad
The Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis is the local switching and terminal railroad that owns and operates the Merchants Bridge and MacArthur Bridge over the Mississippi River, the Madison Yard rail switching facility in Madison, IL and several key railroad routes in the St. Louis region. Work is progressing on a $222 million project to replace the 130-year old Merchants Bridge, a vital rail artery across the Mississippi River and one of the nation’s primary east-west rail corridors serving the nation’s third largest rail hub. When completed in late 2023, the new double track bridge will help move freight faster, cost-effectively and more reliably, providing an alternative to more congested rail regions like Chicago.
The Alton & Southern is a switching railroad under the ownership of the Union Pacific that operates the Alton & Southern Gateway Yard. The Gateway Yard is located east of Interstate 255 and north of the St. Louis Downtown Airport.
“A project I think that could give the region the same strategic advantage [as KC or Indianapolis] is the expansion of the Union Pacific Intermodal Yard in Dupo, Illinois. It could put us on par with our rival cities by giving us cost competitive connectivity to the major West Coast ports.”