The future of CSX was unveiled in Polk County this week and the state-of-the-art facility is expected to make a major impact on the area.

Hundreds of people showed up to the grand opening of CSX’s Central Florida Intermodal Logistic Center.

The facility, which began operations earlier this year, provides a centralized hub for transportation, logistics and distribution serving Orlando, Tampa and other regional Florida markets.

Attendees were greeted by the facility’s large cranes.

“The cranes are amazing devices," said CSX CEO, Michael Ward. "You can’t even hear them they’re so quiet. They’re state of the art -- best in the world, and they’re very computerized, so when a train comes in it knows where the container is and where it needs to be.”

Not only is the new facility expected to make it easier for companies to ship things like clothing and appliances, it’s also projected to bring in thousands of new jobs.

“We expect to create thousands of new construction jobs and permanent jobs and real estate taxes as part of this investment,” said CSX Project Advisor, Michael Mullen.

It’s much more advanced technology than what Robert Willaford had when he first started working for the railroad company more than 50 years ago.

“It’s really amazing," Willaford said. "I know I ran on that main line back, back and forth on that main line 30 years ago. I’d look over here and all it would be was woods. Never expected to see anything like this here.” 

If you’re thinking more trains equals more traffic, train officials say they’ve got that covered, too. They said the Department of Transportation is working on a plan to make even less of an impact on the road. All while CSX makes a positive impact on the economy.

CSX officials said they conducted an economic impact study and over the next 10 years, the facility is projected to generate more than $10 billion in economic development and add $900 million in state and federal tax revenue.