Pool provides rail cars to shippers during peak season

More refrigerated produce cars available

OLYMPIA — Talk about timing.

Port of Quincy consultant Pat Boss thinks the state's agreement with Overland Park and Kansas-based Rail Logistics comes at just the right moment.

"Frankly, it's overdue," Boss said. "We definitely have needed more rail cars added to the system for a long time, and we're glad the state was able to roll this out right before the new shipping season."

The contract, signed in August, means Rail Logistics is leasing up to 50 refrigerated rail cars to the state and manages their use for the state and Washington shippers during the current peak season. As demand grows, the program will expand.

The Washington State Potato Commission was working toward the produce rail car program since 2002.

"This is a great example of a federal, state and private industry partnership," potato commission Executive Director Chris Voigt said in a release. "This new model will not only improve commercial opportunities for our shippers but also strengthen our state transportation."

Company Chief Financial and Operating Officer Chris Mnichowski said Rail Logistics placed rail cars for the state and sales representative Mike Begnaud is meeting with shippers to advise them the program is available. Some produce was shipped from the Pasco area to Kansas City, he added.

The program fulfills shippers' requests for funding to bring additional rail cars to the state during the peak season that were otherwise unavailable due to declining capacity, Mnichowski said.

A number of the new rail cars cluster in Quincy and Pasco as part of the agreement, Boss said. He adds that the port believes nearby fresh and frozen shippers will utilize the cars for a number of reasons, pointing to Columbia Colstor's new international facility.

September through December is a busy season, especially around the holidays, Boss said, and shippers need the extra cars.

"Grant County should benefit in the fact Quincy will have access to a lot of those cars, and a lot of the shippers are in the Quincy area," he said. Boss notes some of the cars in Pasco are able to come to Moses Lake, resulting in a double benefit for the county.

"A lot of the benefit of this program, frankly, will be derived by Adams and Grant counties, so the good news is we're going to see this program have a big, positive effect on this area," he continued.

Boss said the port is discussing the possibility of a unit train, packaging 25 cars together and shooting them to Chicago via the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, but Rail Logistics would have to find a product to put in the cars for the return trip, as bringing containers back empty is more expensive.

In March, Rail Logistics met with various shippers throughout the state, including several meetings in Eastern Washington.

Out of those meetings, Mnichowski said the company developed a car order entry system to respond to customers' needs by having cars in state, and contends with such service issues as how long it takes to get product to market.

"Shippers need to know the cars are available, that we are there to provide them a capacity that will compete with their trucking market," he said. "We're there for them, and they need to take advantage of the program."