Three of the nation’s most important arteries – Interstates 80, 90 and 94 – span the South Bend - Elkhart Region, linked to U.S. 12, 20, 30, and 31’s long stretches of limited access, divided highways. Rail mainlines for CSX, Norfolk Southern, and Canadian National cross the area, with numerous branch lines, regionals, and short lines to link local companies with the nation’s rail network. And, if you need to move larger cargoes longer distances, the Port of Indiana at Burns Harbor provides a route throughout the Great Lakes and to the Atlantic Ocean through the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Freight Rail
Port System
Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor
A Port System at the Crossroads of America – More than half of Indiana’s border is water, which includes 400 miles of direct access to two major international freight arteries, the Great Lakes and the Ohio-Mississippi River System. Located over 600 miles from an ocean, Indiana’s ports are uniquely positioned to handle international shipments at the median center of the U.S. population with the nation’s most robust transportation networks able to reach 75 percent of Americans within a day’s drive.
Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor provides competitive advantages to businesses that move cargo by water, rail and highway. It handles international ships via the St. Lawrence Seaway connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, and provides year-round barge access to 38 states through the Inland Waterways System and to the world by transshipment with ocean vessels in the Gulf of Mexico