“The immediate opportunity for PMT and the port is significant,” said John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. “This is a good first step of providing a ‘proof of concept’ to bring business back to PMT. There is a lot of opportunity at PMT for the right users and this is one.”
On March 30, a Norfolk Southern automotive train arrived at the rail carrier’s Carolina Yard in Portsmouth carrying 700 Chrysler SUVs, manufactured near Toledo, Ohio. The vehicles were driven or transported from the rail yard to PMT by car carrier and vehicle convoy.
The Port of Virginia collaborated with Pasha Automotive, Norfolk Southern, Chrysler Group LLC and Siem Car Carriers to create a short-term, six-month, memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Pasha and Virginia International Terminals, LLC. If all goes well, this could be the basis for a longer term agreement, Reinhart said.