The International Port of Memphis was awarded a $1.7 million Competitive Rail Connectivity Grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation.  The grant will help expand rail service on Presidents Island at the 58-acre public terminal facility.

The project will include the construction of approximately 4,900 feet of new rail track in the terminal, plus four new switches. This will create capacity for approximately 70 additional 100-ton rail cars at the facility. The project will help companies that transfer bulk products between rail to barge.

The public terminal is an inter-modal facility that provides access to waterborne, rail, truck, and pipeline operations. The terminal was first built by the City of Memphis and Shelby County in 1951. The facility provides general cargo handling services to more than 150 industries on Presidents Island and serves more than 300 metropolitan markets that can be reached overnight by truck.

“The proposed project will enhance current industry needs and help attract new businesses that are already interested in the transportation advantages of the Memphis area,” said Randy Richardson, Vice President, Port and Industrial Properties.  “Additional rail space at the Port of Memphis also will open the Memphis area to markets in the Ohio River Valley, Midwest, and Northeast.”

The International Port of Memphis is the second largest inland port on the shallow draft portion of the Mississippi River, and the 5th largest inland Port in the United States.  The port’s industries generate more than $9.2 billion of annual economic impact.