Rail-Link Linkerover Terminal

KEWL's Linkerover Terminal will provide cost effective capacity expansion! 

The plans for the Elwood Logistics Airport include a highly innovative plan to leverage under-utilized adjacent warehouse capacity to enable a fifth cargo terminal. By developing a dedicated rail line, which would operate independent of the national rail network, additional cargo terminal capacity can be available for a fifth cargo carrier operating at an adjacent warehouse with more than adequate amenities of the four planned KEWL terminal cargo facilities.

Phase 1 A

The initial phase of the KEWL Rail-Link operating plan includes rolling stock in fly KEWL livery for a switching locomotive and eight (8) refurbished boxcars. The eight boxcars will enable phased shuttling of freight between the aircraft and the off-site terminal in four (4) car consists, which is the current capacity of the warehouse rail spur and loading dock. The in-bound concept would consist of unloading the aircraft into four boxcars which would be shuttled over to the warehouse to be unloaded, while the next four cars are loaded plane-side. This process would be repeated for the extents of the in-bound cargo.  A similar process would be used for loading out-bound cargo. 

Phase 1 B

Once available, the process is to transition to state-of-the-art specialized railcars for directly handling air cargo containers, or Unit Loading Devices (ULDs) to increase the speed of transfer from arriving aircraft to the offsite terminal facility for processing, or reverse. 

KEWL Rail-Link has acquired ten (10) cars formerly used by the Boeing Corporation to transport fuselage sections for their 767 and 777 model aircraft (below-top, in use at the Boeing Everett Plant). Currently a prototype car has been developed by modifying these cars with a single side door to accommodate six double stacked racks of pre-loaded ULD containers. Initial tests of the prototype car indicate a significant reduction in loading/unloading times and expect to result in aircraft turn times similar to those of on-site cargo terminals. 

Phase 2

KEWL Rail-Link is currently considering the possibility of expanding the rail operations.  Currently in the design stage, the expansion would include developing additional rail lines, a landside loading dock adjacent to the South Terminals, and a reinforced grade crossing for truck movements. One leading concept would be to offer direct shuttle service to nearby warehouses at CenterPoint Intermodal Center, but this would mean interfacing and coordination with the current national rail system and require additional land acquisition for the right-of-way and the design of additional rail line and switches to connect with the existing tracks along with the grade-crossing of IL Route 53.