CSX has launched a TOFC retail intermodal product known as Greenway. The goal with the new service is to grab some of the Florida perishables traffic from parallel I-95 to the Northeast.
I imagine once the I-95 corridor is cleared for doublestacks. This service will switch to doublestacks. While doublestacks beat TOFC in efficiency and capacity..TOFC has some advantages. No need for chassis, also greater net weight. If I were CSX I would keep this serivce TOFC.
CSX says it's looking to expand this service outside the Southeast-Northeast lane. There's a few ways this can be accomplished. I'd say triangulation. Florida-Northeast-Midwest-Florida.
Potato shipments are growing again for New England. The Northeast also produces a fair amount of dairy products, wines, along maple syrups. If this service were to expand to Chicago. Here in Michigan we produce a large amount of fruits. Specifically the Southwest portion of the state. We as well have a growing wine market, and IPA's.
There's an opportunity to dray these loads to Chicago for Florida's high consumption market. Both Kelloggs, and Post Cereals in Battle Creek dray containers to and from Chicago approximately a 150 Mile haul. Further in than Holland, Zeeland and surrounding areas.
Balt looking forward to your comments on this. I'm sure you remember when CSX ran the Orange Blossom Special. This Greenway serivce appears to be a retry of the old OBS.
Here's more on the story
https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/csx-testing-florida-northeast-perishables-market-with-premium-intermodal-service/
In my day the trains were Q031 Southbound and Q032 Northbound - both hauled UPS traffic in both directions - primarly between Baltimore & Jacksonville. The trains were not limited to UPS traffic.
While I was not in Marketing, it didn't appear that CSX was doing much marketing for the services provided by the trains before EHH and I suspect even that little bit of marketing went away when PSR became the marching orders.
I am surprised that the article stated that CSX has been doing increased marketing for the trains for the past year.
The Orange Blossom Special was a train designation during the last days of the Chessie System train naming conventions, with the designation being OBSS+day of origin for the Southbound trip and OBSN+day for the Northbound trip. When CSX began operating a unified Operating Plan, all CSX train designations then consisted of a single letter + a 3 digit numeric identifier + day of origin. In the original CSX Operating Plan, all intermodal trains were in the 100 series, automotive trains were in the 200 series, 300-400-500-600 series were used on general merchandise trains in specific parts of the system. 700 series got allocated to road switchers and local freights and were keyed to their opeating divisions. 800 series got assigned to bulk commodity trains with differing leading letter identifying the commodity. 900 series got used of extra trains. the 001-099 series was allocated to Amtrak.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
It seems the same here the marketing is limited. CSX has about 100 Reefers with CSXZ reporting marks in this service. I do wonder if they will keep this retail if traffic grows.
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