Railex on the right track with second weekly unit train
Railex on the right track with second weekly unit train
Increasing customer demand spurred by the success of its non-stop unit train with guaranteed fifth-morning arrival from Washington state to upstate New York has prompted Railex LLC to add a second weekly unit train, which is scheduled to make its maiden voyage on Feb. 9 and arrive late at night on Feb. 15
Railex, a division of ADS Management LLC, operates the 55-car unit trains year round from two state-of-the-art, freight-forward distribution terminals in Wallula, WA, and Rotterdam, NY.
Paul Esposito, senior vice president of sales and logistics for Railex, told The Produce News that he is quite pleased with the progress that the 16-month- old company has made.
"Business has increased, and people are utilizing the Railex system," he said. "It puts us into a position where we know we have the volume and we are looking for customer support in our second successful train each and every week. It's really a great story going to the second train and seeing this growth. It's through superior service, great customer base and great communication we were able to get this second train started."
The second train will add another 110 cars into the system, bringing the total to 220, 64-foot refrigerated ARMN railcars that are equipped with global positioning satellite tracking, fresh-air exchange and temperature control.
While there will now be two trains on the schedule - one departing Thursday morning and arriving on Tuesday morning and one departing Saturday night and arriving Thursday night - there are technically four trains, each with 55 cars, on the rails. When the first weekly train is unloaded and on its way back, another train will be departing Washington state to start the process all over again.
The unit trains are moved cross-country by the Union Pacific Railroad and CSX Transportation and always remain intact, which avoids shifting of products and potential time delays.
Andy Pollak, owner and chief executive officer of Railex, said that "the second train will enhance the 'freight-forward' concept by allowing both shippers and receivers the comfort of having guaranteed equipment and five-day service on a bi-weekly basis year round, allowing growers, shippers and receivers additional time to spend on promoting their products and less time chasing inconsistent logistical supply."
Mr. Esposito noted that service runs westbound as well as eastbound. "We have two trains eastbound and two trains westbound to service [clients] on both coasts," he said.
Mr. Esposito said that he is proud of the fact that the additional train has "doubled all of our sustainabilities, and we are now saving twice as much diesel fuel and reducing twice as much carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere."
According to the Railex web site, one unit train saves over 5.2 million gallons of diesel fuel and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 85,000 metric tons annually.
The commodities it carries -- primarily apples, pears, onions and potatoes, along with frozen goods, wine, beer and juice -- had traditionally been transported by trucks.
Railex is also a member of the SmartWay Transportation Partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. According to the agency's web site the partnership is "an innovative collaboration between EPA and the freight industry to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution," including maximizing rail efficiency, by "highlighting practical opportunities where rail can be better utilized and to encouraging more efficient rail operations and technical innovation."
Mr. Esposito said that Railex is also gearing up for the summer opening of its third distribution center, a 250,000-square-foot facility in central California, which will allow for two-day train service between California and Washington state.
The California site, which Mr. Esposito declined to reveal, will also open another lane for Railex to provide five-day service between California and New York. The company expects the new lane to be operational in the fourth quarter of 2008.
Railex, a division of ADS Management LLC, operates the 55-car unit trains year round from two state-of-the-art, freight-forward distribution terminals in Wallula, WA, and Rotterdam, NY.
Paul Esposito, senior vice president of sales and logistics for Railex, told The Produce News that he is quite pleased with the progress that the 16-month- old company has made.
"Business has increased, and people are utilizing the Railex system," he said. "It puts us into a position where we know we have the volume and we are looking for customer support in our second successful train each and every week. It's really a great story going to the second train and seeing this growth. It's through superior service, great customer base and great communication we were able to get this second train started."
The second train will add another 110 cars into the system, bringing the total to 220, 64-foot refrigerated ARMN railcars that are equipped with global positioning satellite tracking, fresh-air exchange and temperature control.
While there will now be two trains on the schedule - one departing Thursday morning and arriving on Tuesday morning and one departing Saturday night and arriving Thursday night - there are technically four trains, each with 55 cars, on the rails. When the first weekly train is unloaded and on its way back, another train will be departing Washington state to start the process all over again.
The unit trains are moved cross-country by the Union Pacific Railroad and CSX Transportation and always remain intact, which avoids shifting of products and potential time delays.
Andy Pollak, owner and chief executive officer of Railex, said that "the second train will enhance the 'freight-forward' concept by allowing both shippers and receivers the comfort of having guaranteed equipment and five-day service on a bi-weekly basis year round, allowing growers, shippers and receivers additional time to spend on promoting their products and less time chasing inconsistent logistical supply."
Mr. Esposito noted that service runs westbound as well as eastbound. "We have two trains eastbound and two trains westbound to service [clients] on both coasts," he said.
Mr. Esposito said that he is proud of the fact that the additional train has "doubled all of our sustainabilities, and we are now saving twice as much diesel fuel and reducing twice as much carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere."
According to the Railex web site, one unit train saves over 5.2 million gallons of diesel fuel and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 85,000 metric tons annually.
The commodities it carries -- primarily apples, pears, onions and potatoes, along with frozen goods, wine, beer and juice -- had traditionally been transported by trucks.
Railex is also a member of the SmartWay Transportation Partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. According to the agency's web site the partnership is "an innovative collaboration between EPA and the freight industry to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution," including maximizing rail efficiency, by "highlighting practical opportunities where rail can be better utilized and to encouraging more efficient rail operations and technical innovation."
Mr. Esposito said that Railex is also gearing up for the summer opening of its third distribution center, a 250,000-square-foot facility in central California, which will allow for two-day train service between California and Washington state.
The California site, which Mr. Esposito declined to reveal, will also open another lane for Railex to provide five-day service between California and New York. The company expects the new lane to be operational in the fourth quarter of 2008.
