For Immediate Release...
June 17, 2009
NEW RAIL ACCESS COMING TO THE GTP
Bringing rail transportation into the North Carolina Global TransPark (GTP) has been part of the GTP's master plan for many years. Now, with Spirit AeroSystem's 500,000 square-foot manufacturing plant on the rise, the railroad track won't be far behind.
The GTP is an industrial/airport site located near Kinston in the heart of Eastern North Carolina . It is near major military bases and convenient to the Atlantic Coast and interstate highways. The 2,400-acre site offers commercial real estate, shipping capabilities and excellent warehouse space.
It is also the site of the Kinston Regional Jetport and its 11,500-foot runway. The runway is one of the longest on the Eastern Seaboard, military or commercial. In fact, the runway is the centerpiece of the GTP, appropriate for a business park often touted as an emerging aerospace/aviation center.
That said, the Global TransPark long needed on-site railroad access to round out its transportation trifecta: Air, land and rail transportation options with easy access to the deep water ports on the North Carolina coast at Morehead City and Wilmington .
Construction on a 5.8 mile track, including a railway bridge and 10 roadway crossings, will begin in early 2010 and be finished no later than January, 2012 in order to fit the needs of Spirit AeroSystems.
Spirit, the Wichita-based supplier of aircraft components to both Boeing and Airbus (among several others), is now building a state of the art manufacturing facility on 300 acres at the GTP, set to open in 2010.
Spirit requires the new rail installation to transport large fuselage sections and wing spars to Morehead City . The parts will then set sail for France , where they will be used in the construction of the A350 extra wide body Airbus jetliner.
But the new track system, with its connections to existing North Carolina Railroad tracks, is specifically designed to serve all the GTP's existing and prospective tenants, in addition to meeting the critical need for Spirit.
Jason Orthner is the civil engineer from the N.C. Department of Transportation's Rail Division who is overseeing the planning and construction for the GTP's new rail access, along with approximately 20 other such projects across North Carolina .
Orthner explained, “The coming of Spirit AeroSystems served as the catalyst for this rail construction. But it is being designed to serve the needs of any Global TransPark tenant, existing or prospective, that might need rail to service its business.”
He continued, “The track we are putting in amounts to a spine or trunk line, allowing any number of spurs to come off of it in the future. We have purposely placed it so that it is convenient to many tenant sites that may be occupied in the future.”
Noting that the new track will traverse the east side of the massive runway, Orthner said, “We have created an alignment as the track approaches the runway that will allow us to run track to the west side if that need develops down the road.”
For Darlene Waddell, the Global TransPark Authority's executive director, the new rail system at the GTP is a huge step forward. She commented, “Having rail coming into our project truly makes the TransPark a multimodal operation and elevates the project to another dimension.”
Waddell pointed out that recent progress with the rail access project has resulted from cooperation among the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the N.C. Department of Transportation, North Carolina Railroad and Norfolk Southern.
Orthner expects all permits will be approved and all rights of way will be acquired by December of 2009, opening the way for construction to begin.
He said, “We expect hundreds of workers to be involved in all aspects of putting this track in. The project requires a range of specialties, including grading, roadway improvement, bridge construction, paving and more technical applications like the installation of signal systems.”
The biggest challenge associated with new rail at the GTP is the timeframe, according to Orthner. He explained, “To go from concept to service in three and a half years is unusual for us. Using public monies puts us through many requirements that the private sector doesn't face. But we will meet the schedule and I hope maybe even beat it.”
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Contact:
Alanna King
Marketing & Communications Manager
North Carolina Global TransPark
(252) 522-4929 ext. 719
aking@ncgtp.com
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