b'12American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comACL AJOT_SailSchedule_Irish_ACL6/7/2410:27 AMPage 1(LONGcontinued fromAnotheraspectoflean page 4) short-linerailroadopera-NorthAmericanfreight-railtions is the lack of resourcesNORTH AMERICA & IRELANDnetworkisoneecosystem.forlargemarketingorsales FluidityissuesontheWestteams so growth is the shared Coast can end up impactingresponsibility of all employ- JUST GOT A LOT CLOSERcustomers in the Northeast,ees of a short-line railroad.said TomCiuba,vicepresi- Our growth is incremen-dentofcommunicationsfortal, said Babcock. We add Genesee & Wyoming, a com- one or two carloads at a time. pany that owns or leases overAcustomeraddingfiverail 100 freight railyards in Northcars a week is significant for America.Bystrengtheningus. The smaller base ensures ourClass1andshort-linewe provide excellent serviceOur New Container Service To Ireland relationships,wecancreatetoallcustomers,whether a better service product thattheyarematurecompaniesCuts Days Off Your Transit Timesmeetsthegrowingneedsofachievingnewgrowthor our customers. businesses that are new to our Insomeruralareasandservice area. NORTH AMERICA DUBLIN BELFASTsmalltowns,short-linerail- Port Departure Arrival Transit Arrival Transitroads are the only freight con- u ndeRstanding thenection between shippers andc ommunitiest heys eRve New York Wednesday Sunday 18 Monday 19customers. Baker said, TheyLike other short-line rail- Baltimore Saturday Sunday 15 Monday 16oftenserveasthefirst-mile/ roads, LA&L builds positiveNorfolk Monday Sunday 13 Monday 14last-mile connection betweenrelationships with local eco- Halifax Wednesday Sunday 11 Monday 12farmers,manufacturers,andnomicdevelopmentgroups. the end-consumer. We are the eyes and ears on theground,andwebecomeUSA & Canada Toll Free: 800-ACL-1235s hoRt -l ineR ailRoads ingrained in the [email protected] Ren imble we serve, he noted.TheLivonia,Avon&These connections allow LakevilleRailroadCorpo- LA&L to understand trends2,000customersovermoreG&WreviewsitestoselectfaceTransportationBoard, ration(LA&L)isafamily- astheyareevolving.Bab- than13,000trackmiles.the best option. At that point,theASLRRAstatesthat owned business that has beencockoffersthisexample,Through its subsidiaries andG&Ws operations team andshort-line railroads are vital operating since 1965. ThewesternNewYork- jointventures,G&Wpro- the client finalize track plans,totheeconomybycon-BobBabcock,presidentPennsylvaniaregionisvides a wide range of services,alsoofferingthenamesofnectingsmalltownsand and CEO of LA&L says theexperiencinganincreaseofincluding a team devoted torail construction contractors.ruralareastomanufactur-railroads are lean operations.majormanufacturingandIndustrial Development. G&Wisalsopreparedtoing or retail locations. They He explained, There is notlogistics companies locatingWhen a business decideswork with clients to optimizehaul a wide range of goods a lot of bureaucracy in short- theretotakeadvantageofto add a rail component to itsthe efficiency of the new siteincludingchemicals,food line railroads. This allows usthe proximity to major mar- operations,G&Wisavail- as it is being built. products,aggregates,and tobenimble,eitheraddingkets across the Northeast andable to assist at every pointintermodal rail.new cars to our existing net- Central U.S. in the process. According toe ntRepReneuRiala ppRoach Short-linerailroadsare works to accommodate eco- HenotedthatLA&LsG&W, they offer a four-stepb enefitsc ustomeRs alsogoodstewardsofthe nomic changes or providingpositiverelationshipswithsolution. It begins with com- We offer a one-stop-shoptrackstheyoperateandthe uniqueservicesthathelpeconomic development agen- munication. solution for many of our cus- surroundingareas.Most area businesses. ciespositiontherailroadAcompanycontactstomers,saidLA&LsBab- short-linerailroadsinvesta One example he offers istoservenewbusinessesorG&W to discuss their require- cock.Weproviderail-truckminimumof25%oftheir a request for a new switch forexpanded operations early inmentsanddefinetheirrailtransfer, bulk transfer options,annual revenues in rehabilita-apotentialcustomer. Whilethe process, and partner withand business needs. From thatand warehousing capabilities. tion and maintenance, which thisrequestmighttakeathecommunitiestosupportpoint, the Industrial Develop- Othershort-linerail- is far more than almost any longtimetomakeitswaythe needs of these companiesment team reviews potentialroads like G&W offer railcarindustry in the country, said through the bureaucracy of awhile working to keep sourceproperties and sites includingrepair,railcarstorage,portASLRRAsBaker.Their larger organization, Babcockmaterials and jobs local. ones with port access and/oroperations,andassistanceingenuityandinvestment said,Wetakecareofthetransloadoptions.G&Wswith credit, dimensional, andhave created a vibrant indus-problem. If a customer needsi ndustRiald evelopment is designers develop conceptualclaimsforms.However,thetry, serving a critical role in a new switch at a plant loca- p aRt ofd oingb usiness trackdesignsforpotentialbenefits of short-line railroadfreight movement.tion, they get a new switch atG&Whasmorethanproperties. growth are much broader.their location. 4,000employeesservingTogether,theclientandIn testimony to the Sur- (READYINGcontinued from page 10)XPO East Division.The company also made strategic investments in pro-prietarytechnologytooper-ate even more efficiently and effectivelyforcustomers. Starobasaid,Forexample, weusemachinelearningto optimizelinehaulroutes, createmorefuel-efficient transportationplansand nimblyrespondtounex-pected changes, like weather-related disruptions,XPOhasalsolaunched severalnewPremiumSer-viceslikeMustArriveBy Date(MABD)shippingto major retailers. The company has also expanded its cross-borderservicetoandfrom Mexico to the significant rise in customer near-shoring.These initiatives, in addi-tion to a larger sales staff, are working.XPOadded8,000 newlocalcustomersacross NorthAmericathroughthe third quarter of 2024.'