Eastern Railroad Discussion > Railex to add a 4th train.

The Pressroom




Railex restarts second train from Washington
Joel Gebet -- The Produce News -- February 2, 2009

Though the U.S. economy may be in trouble, Railex LLC keeps on chugging along.

The firm, a division of Riverhead, NY-based ADS Management, restarted its second weekly train from its Wallula, WA, “freight forward”
distribution terminal on Jan. 24, and business is “doing well” there as well as from its new terminal in Delano, CA, said Paul Esposito, its senior vice president of sales and logistics.

“We’re in a growth pattern even in a tough economy, and we’re executing what we’ve said we’re going to do” Mr. Esposito told The Produce News. “The economy has made things difficult all around.
We’re seeing a reduction in buying patterns in retail and foodservice operations, and the cold [weather] in California hasn’t helped.”

Despite rough economic times, Mr. Esposito projected that Railex would add a second train from Delano in late February or early March and proudly noted, “We’ve hauled every commodity that has presented itself” from the facility, which is now in its 18th week of service.

Railex offers guaranteed five-day service from its Delano and Wallula facilities to a third distribution terminal in Rotterdam, NY, just west of Albany, NY.

The 55-car 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 delays. The trains use 64- foot refrigerated ARMN railcars that are equipped with global positioning satellite tracking, fresh air exchange and temperature control.

“We’re glad we’re getting the support out of California much like the support we’ve gotten out of Washington state,” Mr. Esposito said.
“We’re enjoying the operational focus we’ve received from Union Pacific and CSX and are looking at achieving arrivals of 20 to 24 hours ahead of schedule like we’ve consistently done out of Washington.”

He also said that Railex is looking to add other distribution terminals “in the Southeast and central U.S. within the next year.”

In addition to its guaranteed service, Railex also helps reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

According to Railex’s web site, one unit train saves over 5.2 million gallons of diesel fuel and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 85,000 metric tons per year.

Railex is also a member of the SmartWay Transportation Partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which, according to the agency’s web site, “is an innovative collaboration between EPA and the freight industry to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution.” Toward that end are efforts including maximizing rail efficiency by “highlighting practical opportunities where rail can be better utilized and encouraging more efficient rail operations and technical innovation.”