Brian Taylor, chief executive officer of JAXPORT, Jacksonville, Fla., and Patrick Burgoyne, chief executive officer of Ceres Terminals, East Brunswick, N.J., signed the operator agreement for JAXPORT’s new on-dock rail facility—the Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) at Dames Point.

Ceres Terminals will be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the terminal. Commercial container operations are scheduled to begin in August.

ICTF at Dames Point serves JAXPORT’s Northside terminals—the TraPac Container Terminal at Dames Point and the Blount Island Marine Terminal. The direct transfer of containers between vessels and trains speeds up the shipment process and reduces the number of trucks on the road.

Rail that connects to CSX’s main line will allow for two unit trains each day (one inbound and one outbound) carrying up to 200 containers each. Two truck lanes will allow vehicles to transport containers to and from the adjacent shipping terminals.