Patriot Rail investment raises California subsidiary’s rail capacity
Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor
Patriot Rail Services Company LLC (Patriot Rail), a U.S.-based rail services provider, has announced a rail infrastructure investment in its California-based subsidiary, Sacramento Valley Railroad (SAV), which serves McClellan Business Park.
SAV has provided all railcar switching and other rail services on seven miles of the rail line within the 3,000-acre business park located near Sacramento, Calif., since 2004, representatives say.
The latest investment includes the addition of 2,600 linear feet of track, and representatives say the funding will increase rail capacity in the business park by 40 percent, allowing for improved growth among its warehouse and logistics company tenants.
“In addition to giving current customers the ability to increase shipments by rail, the expansion will allow shippers who previously relied on trucks the chance to take advantage of the more economic mode of rail transportation,” said Patriot Rail President and CEO John Fenton. “An additional positive [result] of the construction will be fewer trucks on local freeways resulting in less pollution in northern California.”
Representatives also emphasized that an independent study conducted for the Federal Railroad Administration stated that railroads are four times more fuel efficient than trucks, on average, and that greenhouse gas emissions directly correlate to fuel consumption, suggesting that moving freight by rail instead of truck lowers greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent.
“In 2016, SAV handled a record-high number of railcars for our customers and we anticipate this growth trend to continue as we move into the New Year,” said Larry Kelley, president and a managing member of McClellan Park, LLC. “As a result of Patriot Rail’s investment, I feel the SAV and the business park are adequately prepared to handle any and all additional rail traffic generated by new and existing tenants.”
In honor of the project, a “Golden Spike Ceremony” with an expected 95 attendees is set for Nov. 9, 2016. Confirmed speakers include representatives from Patriot Rail Company, McClellan Business Park and members of the Union Pacific Railroad, which provides an interchange point for long-haul rail traffic to SAV.
