A unique part of PotashCorp’s expansion plans rolled into place in Hammond, Indiana, as the company celebrated the completion of the first phase of its Hammond Regional Distribution Centre.

Located south of Chicago, Illinois, the facility will help PotashCorp deliver more potash to customers as its operations expand. PotashCorp is investing $53 million in the two-phase project which will eventually cut delivery times in the United States by six to eight days from the current transit time from the mine.

Working with the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad (IHB), PotashCorp will begin using the new facility in the next few weeks. The key to the reduction in delivery time is the ability to forward position product beyond the busy Chicago corridor and still maintain quick access to all the Class 1 carriers.

The grand-opening was held at the Gibson Yard in Hammond, Indiana on April 27, 2012.

“This was a tremendous partnership with the IHB,” said Bob Felgenhauer, PotashCorp’s Vice President, Transportation and Distribution. “We’re happy to announce that railcars loaded with potash will now more efficiently reach our customers across the eastern U.S.”

Construction is set to begin on the second phase of the project in the coming months. A new storage building will be added to the 14 miles of track at the facility. With a total storage capacity of 200,000 tonnes, the facility will cover 89 acres.

Approximately 200 workers will be involved with the construction on the second phase of the PotashCorp Hammond Regional Distribution Centre.

The entire project should be complete in 2013.