Pandemic Hinders Sale of W.Va. Intermodal Terminal

The COVID-19 pandemic has hindered efforts to sell a West Virginia intermodal facility.

State Transportation Secretary Byrd White said at a recent meeting of a state legislative committee that some would-be buyers have expressed interested in buying the Heartland Intermodal Gateway facility in Pritchard.

However, the pandemic has put the sale efforts in limbo. An auction that was to have been held last April was canceled due to the pandemic.

“We hope to be able to sell it, rent it, do something with it to get it off our books,” White said.

The state decided to sell the facility, which opened in 2015, after it failed to meet expectations.

It closed in October 2019 after generating about 500 lifts that year.

Norfolk Southern, which served the $35 million facility, said it needed a minimum of 15,000 lifts annually at the terminal.

The facility was a joint venture in which the state paid $18 million,

Tags: Heartland Intermodal Gateway Port, Norfolk Southern, West Virginia