OFF THE ROADS
& ON THE RAILS
Ever since it’s opening in January, the new intermodal facility in Waterville, Maine, has steamed ahead of all expectations.
While a crowd of Guilford Rail officials, state and local officials, and customers looked on, Guilford Motor Express’ Bill Redmond completed the final link between Maine and major U.S. Markets.
The new service, called the DownEast Express, enables industries in Maine to move their truck load business a short distance to the new terminal. Once there, GMX lifts those trailers onto rail cars and in conjunction with Conrail, Norfolk Southern and other Class 1 carriers, move that product quickly and efficiently to markets all over North America. This new service will make industries in Maine more competitive and make Maine even more attractive for industries looking for a place to locate.
After completing his training on a massive loading device called the Piggy-Packer, Redmond gently loaded the first group of trailers to be shipped from the new $1.8 million dollar facility. At the end of its’ first week of operation, a total of 148 trailers had been moved through the site. That’s 148 fewer trailers wearing down the highway.
“The new service gives trucking companies an efficient way to move their loads while at the same time contributing to cleaner air and less congestion on the Maine Turnpike,” said David A. Fink, President, Guilford Rail System.
The terminal receives and ships trailers around the clock Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Using two Mi-Jack-9090 Piggy-Packers moved up from Ayer, Massachusetts, and a new P&H Super-Stacker shipped in from France, the facility was able to double its’ outgoing traffic within three weeks.
“It’s been working excellent for us,” said Jack Burke, Regional Marketing Manager for J.B. Hunt Transport Inc. “At the end of the first month we found that a lot of the shippers in Maine are very excited.”
Burke noted that for the first time Maine businesses can enjoy the same benefits as other locations concerning pricing and volume. He also added that J.B. Hunt can now base local and regional drivers in that area. “As our business in Maine grows, so will the trucking jobs.”
Karl Richter of Perry, Maine who drove the first tractor trailer into the yard said the intermodal terminal was, “a real blessing.” He said he can now spend more weekends at home when he only has to travel to Waterville instead of driving out of the state.
Waterville Mayor Ruth Joseph was enthusiastic. “This was something I worked on as a legislator and I see it as the fulfillment of a long-term effort.”
Teaching the Waterville crews everything from hand signals to maintenance were Joe Delorey from the Guilford intermodal facility in Ayer and Mi-Jack representative Bill Wetzel. “They really took their training and ran with it,” said Terminal Manager Richmond. “To go right from instruction to running the operation efficiently demonstrates the experience and dedication of our crews.”
Despite being busy with the constant flow of incoming and outgoing traffic, Richmond made sure to highlight the efforts of several dedicated people. “Conrail sent in people to set up the computer system that tracks all of our traffic; Chinet Co. lent the state two executives for two years to help get this off the ground; Commissioner John Melrose and his staff worked with us throughout the process from early development to start up; local officials gave us the green light on the project and our own management team put this puzzle together.”