RailReach intermodal container service begins

RailRunner NA Inc has put its RailReach short-haul intermodal service into commercial operation, bringing low-cost rail intermodal container shipping — including refrigerated containers — to the short-haul rail market and, potentially, to hundreds of smaller cities and towns.

The first RailReach service, carrying containerized traffic by rail between Fort Wayne IN and Jacksonville FL, began August 20.

RailRunner's patented railcar and container chassis system operates on both the highway and the rail line, allowing a shipper to shift from road to rail and back without the need for cranes to loft the container from one carrier to another. Freight can be moved onto and off of the rails by a truck at a siding with minimal infrastructure changes in many cases.

The RailReach service connects Jacksonville, a major container terminal center serving Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, with Fort Wayne, a hub for Midwest manufacturing that does not have container-handling equipment. Until the RailReach service, containerized freight reached Fort Wayne only after long and expensive tractor-trailer hauls from the port.

RailReach uses RailRunner technology and equipment. Cargo can be picked up at the shipper's location or delivered to a RailReach terminal in Jacksonville or Fort Wayne. The company monitors all containers in transit, with shipment status provided to customers electronically.