Railex adds track in Rotterdam
$800,000 project will handle more produce trains from California

By Eric Anderson
Albany Times Union, N.Y.
Aug. 23--ROTTERDAM -- As it prepares to begin operating produce trains from California's Salinas Valley late next month, Railex is nearing completion on work to install a nearly mile-long track at the Rotterdam Corporate Park.
"They needed to quickly add a third track to accommodate more service and more trains," said Ray Gillen, chairman of the Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority. "It's another sign Railex is growing and committing to Schenectady County."
Railex spokesman Paul Esposito said the new track cost the company between $700,000 and $800,000.
Railex began construction in May on a 200,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center in Delano, Calif. The $32 million project is near completion, and will serve farmers in a 150-mile radius.
It's also expected to create 300 new jobs there.
David Buicko, chief operating officer at Galesi Group, which owns and operates Rotterdam Corporate Park, described California as "the mother lode" of fresh fruits and vegetables. Having weekly refrigerated trains operating from that region is expected to help cut transportation costs.
Railex began operating its first produce train, from Wallula, Wash., to its Rotterdam warehouse, in October 2006. A second train from Washington state operated for a brief time but was canceled after a massive mudslide blocked tracks in the Pacific Northwest. That train hasn't yet resumed operation, Esposito said.
The one train a week operates in each direction, with stops only for crew changes. The trains are tracked by satellite, and individual shippers can monitor the conditions inside the freight cars.
The increase in service comes as efforts to encourage consumers to "eat local" gain in the Capital Region. Local farmers also have said privately that they're feeling the pressure from the influx of out-of-state potatoes, apples and other items.
"For the past two years, Railex has been bringing in the same kind of produce -- apples, potatoes, carrots and onions -- that New York farmers grow and with the same growing season. One could argue that it's reasonable to ship produce from California during the winter, but supermarkets ... continue to ship in produce from California even during the height of our growing season," said Cheryl Nechamen, chairwoman of the Regional Farm & Food Project in Albany.
"Shipping produce by rail is more energy-efficient than shipping it by refrigerated truck but still undermines our agricultural community."
She called for support of efforts by New York farmers to extend the growing season.
Still, the additional service may be good news for consumers' wallets.
"The best of what's grown exclusively in California, like those varieties grown in Washington, can be shipped quickly and directly to Price Chopper's facility in Rotterdam and then quickly and efficiently to Price Chopper's customers," said Mona Golub, a Price Chopper spokeswoman. Lowering the cost of getting goods to market keeps prices lower for consumers, she said.
Railex plans to expand its Rotterdam distribution center, Esposito said. The building is large enough to accommodate 15 rail cars at a time for loading and unloading. With the expansion, it would be able to handle 19 at a time, the same as at Railex's other two centers in California and Washington state.
The company also has been hiring additional workers in Rotterdam, although Esposito wasn't able Friday afternoon to say how many employees the local operation now has. Anderson can be reached at 454-5323 or by e-mail at eanderson@timesunion.com.
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