Re: Watsonville
Author: mook
Date: 09-02-2015 - 13:00
And where's the intermodal ramp/container transload? Tracy? Oakland more likely? Stockton? Did I hear recently that BNSF closed their Fresno intermodal for lack of business?
Practically nobody in the retail-serving business gets things by carload rail. Perhaps there was a rail segment for containers, but note that all these places are within a 2-4 hour dray (i.e. 1-2 round trips per truck driver shift) from marine container terminals, which is where most of their stuff comes from (see: China) - no rail market in that kind of short haul.
Still, it's interesting the FedEx would expand in Watsonville even if there's no rail connection. Would have expected them to put a sorting center closer to a freeway connecting to the Bay Area and LA than that, like maybe in Salinas. But rail? No way, given FedEx's general routing practices. Trucks & airplanes are faster and more reliable.