New CSX Rail Lane from Norfolk to Indianapolis: Five-Day Transit, But Which Terminal Your Cargo Uses Determines Whether You Can Access It

Daniel BurkePublished every day

The Port of Virginia now offers a daily CSX rail lane to Indianapolis with a five-day transit from Norfolk, bypassing Chicago entirely. For facilities with inbound freight currently routing through Chicago, that is a material change in transit time and logistics optionality.

The constraint that most logistics teams will miss: the Surface Transportation Board ruled in April 2026 that Norfolk Southern retains sole direct access to Norfolk International Terminals, where NS handles roughly 90% of intermodal volume at Norfolk. The new CSX lane originates at Virginia International Gateway (VIG) not NIT. If your containers arrive at NIT, you are on NS regardless of this new service. The terminal assignment question is not a detail. It determines whether this lane is available to your cargo at all.

Confirm your terminal assignment at Norfolk before you restructure any inbound logistics assumptions around this lane.

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Can my facility actually use the new CSX rail lane from Norfolk to Indianapolis?

Only if your cargo uses Virginia International Gateway (VIG) at the Port of Virginia. Norfolk Southern retains sole direct access to Norfolk International Terminals, where roughly 90% of intermodal volume at Norfolk is handled. If your containers arrive at NIT, the new CSX lane is not available to them regardless of what the transit time looks like on paper. Confirm your terminal assignment before restructuring any logistics plan around this lane.

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New CSX Rail Lane from Norfolk to Indianapolis: Five-Day Transit, But Which Terminal Your Cargo Uses Determines Whether You Can Access It

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