BNSF, McKay TransCold to launch refrigerated service next year

Third-party logistics service provider McKay TransCold yesterday announced plans to launch a "TransCold Express" dedicated, refrigerated rail service next year running between California's Central Valley and the Midwest.

BNSF Railway Co. is helping the 3PL create the inaugural service, which is scheduled to start in first-quarter 2014. McKay TransCold plans to offer a dedicated 50-car unit train to transport refrigerated and frozen consumer goods and produce between Selma, Calif., and Wilmington, Ill.

Freight would be moved by the carload, truckload or less-than-truckload shipment via BNSF's newly refurbished fleet of refrigerated box cars. Trains initially would depart from each location once per week, with the service increasing to two days per week as demand grows, McKay TransCold officials said in a press release.

"We have worked closely with the BNSF team to craft a program that will fill a niche in current modes of transportation," said McKay TransCold Chief Executive Officer Randy McKay. "It was important to bring a service to the market that added value and focused on overall supply chain solutions."

The Illinois location will provide service to points in Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin in the Midwest; the Carolinas, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania on the East Coast; and select Canadian markets, including Toronto. The California location will target all of California and southern Nevada.

"TransCold Express represents a new milestone in refrigerated train service on our network," said Dave Garin, BNSF's group vice president-industrial products. "Our network provides an ideal solution for perishable shippers to achieve superior supply chain performance because of [our] commitment to service performance and reliability."