Rail Logix strives to be more than a typical short line
7/13/2021
By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor
There are many railroads considered short lines that don’t necessarily fit the true definition of a Class III. Rail Logix LLC is one of them.
Established in 2007, privately owned Rail Logix is a rail yard operator that — like many short lines — provides switching, transloading and rail-car storage, cleaning and maintenance services. But unlike a typical Class III, the company develops state-of-the-art rail terminals primarily in the Gulf Coast region, and provides chemicals and plastics packaging services.
Rail Logix targets customers in the agricultural, energy, logistics and petrochemical industries.
The company can develop build-to-suit facilities for customers in need of turnkey solutions and world-class transportation services, including moves that require interchanges with several Class Is, said Rail Logix Chief Operating Officer Randy Bennett in an email.
Two of the company’s key operations are located near Port Houston in Texas: Rail Logix La Porte adjacent to the Port Crossing Commerce Center in LaPorte and AmeriPort Industrial Park in Baytown. The 100-acre Rail Logix La Porte is served by Union Pacific Railroad and can store 1,200 cars. The rail yard features 125 rail-car and truck spots available for transloading.
The 955-acre AmeriPort Industrial Park is dual served by UP and BNSF Railway Co., and can store 3,310 cars. The park is strategically located for enhanced mobility and logistical advantages, said Bennett, whose rail industry experience includes long stints with Kansas City Southern and Watco.
During his 23-year Watco career, Bennett was vice president of operations-Southern Region, executive VP of switching services and COO of switching services. He was instrumental in the development of Watco’s Greens Port Industrial Park, a 640-acre industrial park located on the Houston ship channel.
Rail Logix also operates in the 520-acre Alamo Junction Rail Park southeast of San Antonio that’s also served by BNSF and UP. The facility can store 1,060 cars, accommodate both manifest and unit trains, and be used to transload frac sand, chemicals and petroleum-related products.
The company can develop build-to-suit facilities for customers in need of turnkey solutions and world-class transportation services, including moves that require interchanges with several Class Is, said Rail Logix Chief Operating Officer Randy Bennett. Rail Logix LLCIn addition, Rail Logix provides services in the 400-acre Lacassine Industrial Park in Iowa, Louisiana, a first-of-its-kind park in southwest Louisiana that can store 1,500 cars, company officials said. Located on a jointly operated BNSF/UP mainline, the park offers unique synergies in the coordination and delivery of cars to rail-served tenants in the petrochemical, energy, agricultural and logistics industries, they said.
Two other rail parks are in the offing. Construction is scheduled to start Aug. 1 on the 300-acre Railport Industrial Park in St. Gabriel, Louisiana. To be located on a CN line and near Interstate 10, the park is designed to support the petrochemical, energy, agricultural and logistics industries situated between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The project’s first phase is slated for completion in August 2022.
Construction also continues on the 330-acre Interchange Industrial Park near Port Houston in Dayton, Texas. To open in September, the park will be dual served by BNSF and UP and built to store 2,700 cars.
Growth and storage capacity in the Gulf Region
With the two new rail parks in the hopper, Rail Logix will focus on completing both while determining where to build the next one, said Bennett. The company’s growth strategy is heavily weighted on meeting customer demand for storage capacity in the Gulf region.
“Once we determine that there is a lack of rail infrastructure in a targeted location, we work with industries present in the operating zone to secure business for our rail park,” Bennett said. “As soon as the interchange, storage and operating tracks are complete, we market our surplus acreage for the development of rail-served buildings at the site.”
Rail Logix aims to design all its facilities to accommodate continued expansion and reach maximum efficiency.
“When we plan a speculative rail terminal, we have to design for the utmost flexibility because we don’t know who our customers are going to be on the front end,” Rail Logix officials said.
To supplement its rail operations, the company also retains a strategic alliance with National Property Holdings to offer customers a full complement of real estate services, such as land acquisition, project development, construction management, leasing and property management.
