Guilford Rail partners with
Canadian National to launch:
"The New England Clipper"
Guilford Rail System, in conjunction with Canadian National Railway, will launch a new intermodal service dubbed "The New England Clipper." The service provides CN and Guilford Rail’s international and domestic customers with seamless intermodal service between Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the Greater Boston and New England market.
Under a recently signed agreement, Guilford Rail System, with CN and New Brunswick Southern Railway, will serve the area between Halifax and Ayer, Massachusetts. Ayer is located 40 miles outside of Boston and provides convenient access to important New England markets.
The New England Clipper service will link the ocean port of Halifax with major industrial areas. The service, with electronic data interchange (EDI) customs clearances, is designed to cut up to 24 hours off shipping lines' existing itineraries through U.S. eastern seabord ports. Trucking companies and intermodal marketing companies (IMCs) also stand to benefit from the seamless service.
Some of the main benefactors in this new endeavor will be New England customers who could previously only ship over-the-road.
This new service further establishes Ayer and Halifax as central locations to serve the New England market. "For both existing and potential customers, it means quicker export and import access to markets, and a rapid and reliable North American intercontinental supply line for manufacturers and retailers in the region,” said Craig Littzen, CN's Vice-President, Intermodal and Automotive. “One call does it all for consistent service every step of the way."
Dedicated unit trains will depart Halifax and Ayer, providing early second-morning availability at destination. As market demand dictates, the frequency of the new intermodal service will be expanded to as many as five trains a week.
The Port of Halifax, as a gateway, can now serve New England in addition to serving the Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario and the U.S. Midwest.
(L to R) Guilford Rail’s Gerry Dube, Ken Malanson and site Foreman Jim Ferraro lower a section of rail onto track 11 at the Ayer facility.