Article from AREA Development

Inland ports serve an important role in attracting businesses. They offer companies an opportunity to bypass congested coastal deepwater seaports and move goods inland — usually by rail. While inland ports are found around the country, several central America locations that have benefited include Kansas City (KS/MO); St. Louis, Missouri and Columbus, Ohio.

The array of logistics resources catalyzed by KC SmartPort in Kansas City illustrates the potential for regional development of integrated intermodal systems, inland ports, and logistics parks. The area currently has four intermodal parks, with another intermodal distribution project being developed.

“The rapid growth of eCommerce has fueled development of warehouses and distribution centers, specifically with U.S. inland port markets such as Kansas City,” reports Chris Gutierrez, president, KC SmartPort. He stresses how inland ports like KC SmartPort give companies access to land and buildings at lower prices and operating costs than most crowded coastal port cities. “Many manufacturers and distributors bring product via rail inbound to the inland port, thereby saving on transportation costs and potentially traffic delays,” he adds.

Rail lines are interested in investing in inland terminals where they can extend their services deeper into customer supply chains. A good example is BNSF Railway’s most modern logistics park, the Logistics Park Kansas City (LPKC). With 1,700 acres, LPKC is the largest intermodal facility in the Kansas City market. Tenants include Kubota Tractor Corporation, Horizon Global, UPS, Amazon and Jet.com.