Posts Tagged “unit trains”
The Tampa (FL) Port Authority plans to construct a refrigerated warehouse, which apparently touched off a battle between another Tampa Bay port over which one would dominate the fruit importing business.
The TPA plans to invest $20.8 million in a cold storage and transload facility at the port of Tampa Bay.
The warehouse would mark the port’s return to the fruit importing business and is viewed as competition by neighboring Port Manatee in Palmetto, FL.
Port Manatee officials expressed concern that the other port would try to dominate fruit handling after the authority voted to authorize construction funding.
The port’s projects to deliver goods directly from ship to market and would include a 50-60 car capacity rail siding that could help the port better serve Midwest customers.
“Port Tampa Bay has the unmatched capacity to build unit trains,” a PTA spokesman said. “Part of the port’s overall growth strategy is to be able to serve shippers in the state of Florida with alternative, cost-efficient transportation solutions, so that they will not have to use out-of-state ports for their shipments.”
The port handles approximately 8 million tons of containerized cargo each year with tropical fruits and vegetables among its biggest items, according to port information.
The port’s 207,000 square feet of refrigerated space is used by Coral Gables, Fla.-based Del Monte Fresh Produce NA Inc., and Fresh Quest Produce Inc., in Plantation, Fla.
Responsible for handing nearly a third of all cargo moving in and out of Florida, the Tampa port port’s yearly 36 million net tons of volume is dominated by dry and liquid bulk items.
At 521,825 million net tons, general and containerized cargo accounts for less than 2% of its business.
When the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Market opened in the South Bronx of New York City nearly half a century ago, there were high hopes it would be a rail delivery heaven. Even to this day, there are still those who have that dream.
When the 113-acre produce complex opened in 1967 plenty of receivers were anxious to try trains attracted to the lower freight rates. However, within five years, there had been a dramatic drop in rail usage. As late as 1972 Salinas Valley produce companies were shipping vegetables to Hunts Point via rail. Today, no Salinas Valley veggies are transported on tracks.
Hunts Point had become notorious for claims, whether justified, or not. Many of those claims no doubt were justified, because it was taking the rails so long to deliver the highly perishable produce. In reality, wholesalers using rails were shifting heavily towards trucks after WWII and this only excelerated as the interstate highway system development began in the 1950s. The popular so-called unit trains, practically became history.
Some rail tracks on Hunts Point over the years have actually been covered by buildings as lack of space became more critical.
Even today, some New York politicians and some in the private sector are pushing to increase rail usage, primarily based on reducing highway traffic and environmental reasons. For example, there is a push to have long haul trucks deliver produce to New Jersey and they “ferry” it over to New York. However, that would add an extra day before the perishable products are delivered. Each added day reduces quality and the value of produce.
Hunts Point has received a federal grant as well as monies from New York City totaling about $22 million to upgrade rail siding and a transfer dock at the market. Still, trucks will continue to be the main source of transportation. Why?
If nothing else, consider this. Despite Hunts Point receiving between 2,500 and 3,000 rail cars yearly, rail cars often take up to 18 days to arrive at the market from the West. Piggybacks regularly arrive in about six or seven days. A single driver owner operator commonly arrives in five days. — Bill Martin
(This is the second of a four-part series based upon my visit to Hunt Point on Dec. 4, 2014)