Rail Logistics and Iowa Pacific Holdings have announced a new partnership in which Rail Logistics is managing, operating, and marketing Iowa Pacific’s refrigerated railcar fleet as of May 1, 2012. The state-of-the-art reefer railcar fleet initially will be equipped with 150 cars.
Iowa Pacific has ordered an additional 100 reefer boxcars, and these 64-foot units will be added to the fleet in 2013. All cars in the Iowa Pacific fleet are electronically tracked, and internal temperatures are monitored to ensure product quality on delivery.
Iowa Pacific selected Rail Logistics because of its track record of managing, operating, and marketing both reefer railcar and intermodal container fleets. Since 2006, Rail Logistics has managed and operated the Produce Shippers Rail Car Pool Program for the state of Washington. The state pool offered railcars to shippers of perishable products that no longer had access to railroad-supplied railcars.
Additionally, in early 2010, Rail Logistics launched the “Cold Train” Pacific Northwest-Chicagoland Express Refrigerated Intermodal Service in partnership with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) and the Port of Quincy WA. To date, Cold Train has shipped more than 5,000 loads of Washington produce.
“The partnership with Rail Logistics will enable us to deploy our expanded car fleet beyond our traditional Colorado potato business,” said Steve Gregory, executive vice-president–marketing for Iowa Pacific. “With tight truck capacity and high fuel prices, we think there is a solid market for refrigerated rail transportation.”
Visit www.rrlx.com or www.iowapacific.com for complete information.
