Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. (CP) has launched a new partnership with Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) and Bluegrass Farms of Ohio that will open up the Ohio Valley to CP customers and further extend CP's reach into key North American markets.

CP has an exclusive agreement with Bluegrass Farms of Ohio to use its 90-acre intermodal facility in Jeffersonville, Ohio, strategically located on the Interstate 71 corridor with the ability to serve the Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, markets. The farm consortium will continue to own the facility and will operate it on behalf of CP. CP has also come to an agreement with G&W, which services the site through its Indiana & Ohio (IORY) line.

"Through strategic partnerships and innovative thinking, we are expanding our reach and increasing optionality for our customers," said Keith Creel, CP president and chief executive officer. "This service allows our international intermodal customers to come through the Port of Vancouver and access markets deep in the Ohio Valley. The unique site also creates better-round trip economics for our customers by enabling the empty containers to be reloaded with agriculture products and shipped back overseas."

The site offers CP and G&W a ready-made intermodal facility on the IORY line that is able to accommodate intermodal and bulk shipments, along with the ability to provide transloading services of bulk agricultural products into containers. The secure site also features extensive container and trailer storage and the ability to expand with current and future customers.

"Our partnership with Canadian Pacific is an excellent example of how short-line railroads can extend the reach of the Class I network," G&W chairman, president and CEO Jack Hellmann said. "This intermodal terminal not only offers a new rail option to and from the Ohio Valley but was purpose built to provide back-haul opportunities that will enable customers to reduce overall transportation costs and enhance their competitive advantage."

Dave Martin, president of Bluegrass Farms of Ohio, added, "We are excited to be working closely with CP and have always believed that this is the perfect site to not only reach into the Ohio Valley with imports but to deliver high-quality, sustainable agricultural products back on the export side."

CP said the new service is another in a suite of options it has created to better meet the needs of the marketplace while leveraging its innovative live-lift operation at Portal, N.D., and its best-in-class daily service between Vancouver and Chicago, Ill.

CP also announced that it is expanding its sales and marketing presence in Asia by adding key positions added in China and Singapore.

"We are putting more dots on the map, expanding our reach and working with current and potential customers to sustainably grow our business and theirs," Creel said.