>> WHEN THE PINSLEY RAIL COMPANY PURCHASED THE RAILROAD FORMERLY
OPERATED BY CONRAIL IN 1982 AND TURNED IT INTO WHAT IS NOW KNOWN
AS THE PIONEER VALLEY RAILROAD, IT USHERED IN A NEW ERA FOR THE
SHORT LINE RAIL INDUSTRY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS.
SINCE THAT TIME, THEIR CLIENT LIST HAS CONTINUED TO GROW ALONG
THE RAILS AS WELL AS WITH THEIR WAREHOUSE AND DISTRIBUTION
SERVICES.
CONNECTING POINT'S BRIAN SULLIVAN SHINES A LIGHT ON THIS
CLASS THREE RAIL COMPANY IN THIS NEXT STORY AS HE CHASED TRAINS
AROUND SEVERAL 413 TOWNS TO GET A LOOK AT THE STATE OF FREIGHT
IN WESTERN MASS.
>> AMERICA MAY HAVE TWICE AS MUCH AS RAILROAD TRACK COVERING
ITS LANDSCAPE ALL OF CHINA BUT CHINA RANKS 234067 IN THE
PASSENGER KILOMETERS THAT'S A MEASUREMENT OF RAIL RIDERSHIP.
THE UNITED STATES WE'RE WAY DOWN ON THAT LIST AT NO. 237
ACCORDING TO A 2017 SURVEY, BUT WHAT WE LACK IN RIDERSHIP WE
MAKE UP FOR IN FREIGHT.
ANNUALLY 29 MILLION CARLOADS ORIGINATE HERE IN THE STATES AND
30 MILLION TERMINATE HERE AND WHILE THE CLASS 1 OPERATORS LIKE
CSX MAY COVER THE MOST GROUND AND COVER THE MOST ATTENTION,
THEY'RE OPERATING BEHIND THE SCENES MAKING IT POSSIBLE WITH
SEVERAL OF THEM LOCATED RIGHT HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS.
HERE IN THE COMMONWEALTH THERE ARE 12 RAILROAD COMPANIES AND
OVER 1,000 RAILROAD MILES FOR PIONEER VALLEY RAILROAD, A SHORT
LINE COMPANY THAT OPERATES OUT HERE WESTFIELD AND HOLY OAK 16
OF THOSE MILES ARE UNDER THEIR JURISDICTION.
BY DEFINITION A SHORT LINE RAILROAD IS AN INDEPENDENT RAIL
COMPANY THAT OPERATES OVER A SHORT DISTANCE.
IN THE CASE OF PBRR THEY DO SO WHILE INTERCHANGING REVENUE
TRAFFIC WITH OTHER LARGER RAILROADS LIKE CSX AND PAN AM
SOUTHERN.
THEY TAKE CARS TO SEVERAL OF THEIR CUSTOMERS IN THE WESTFIELD
AND HOLYOKE AREA LIKE THIS SHIPMENT OF GRANITE BLOCKS IN
WESTFIELD.
THEY'RE ALSO TASKED WITH BUILDING TRAINS FOR THE BIGGER
COMPANIES SO BEFORE TRAINS LIKE THIS CAN GO OUT FOR THE LONG
HAUL, THEIR ASSEMBLY TAKES PLACE AT THE SHORT LINE RAILYARD.
CSX WILL DELIVER US -- DELIVERS THE TRAIN OF, SAY, 50 CARS AND
THOSE 50 CARS WILL GO TO SEVERAL DIFFERENT DESTINATIONS HERE IN
WESTFIELD AND HOLYOKE.
ALL THE DIFFERENT CUSTOMERS MAYBE 3 CARS THERE, 4 CARS
THERE, 10 CARS AND WE'LL TAKE THOSE 3 CARS AND WE'LL TAKE THEM
TO THE CUSTOMER AND COME BACK AND GRAB THE NEXT SEVERAL CARS
AND TAKE THEM TO THE NEXT CUSTOMER AND AT THE SAME TIME,
WE'LL BRING BACK CARS THAT ARE RELEASED FROM THAT CUSTOMER AND
BUILD A TRAIN TO HAND BACK OFF TO THE CXS.
>> CUSTOMER SATISFACTION MAY BE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FROM THE
COMPANY'S BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE BUT THE MOST CRITICAL FACTOR TO
THEIR DAY-TO-DAY OPERATION IS SAFETY.
IDEALLY THE NUMBERS ON THIS COUNTER ARE HANGING UP IN THE
CONFERENCE ROOM WILL ONLY GO UP.
A MAJOR COMPONENT OF THAT SAFETY IS COMMUNICATION.
ON THE MORNING WE STOPPED IN THERE WERE STEADY DIALOG BETWEEN
ALL THE PARTIES INVOLVED AND THAT SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY GOOD
METHOD WHEN DEALING WITH GIANT ROLLING HUNKS OF METAL THAT
WEIGH OVER 100 TONS.
>> OUR 234067 ASSET AT THE PIONEER VALLEY IS OUR EMPLOYEES
AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE A SAFE WORK ENVIRONMENT
EACH AND EVERY DAY AND HOW WE ACCOMPLISH THAT WITH HAVING THE
COURAGE TO CARE.
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, YOU SAY SOMETHING.
IF THERE'S AN EMPLOYEE NEXT TO YOU THAT'S ABOUT TO DO THAT
SOMETHING WRONG OR DOESN'T HAVE THE PROPER PPE TO DO THAT HIS OR
HER JOB, WE HAVE THE COURAGE TO CARE TO SAY, HEY, LET'S GET WHAT
WE NEED TO DO TO DO THE JOB SAFELY.
>> THOSE SAFETY MEASURES SHOULD EXTEND TO THE PUBLIC AS WELL.
THERE'S A REASON THOSE ARMS COME DOWN WHERE THEY DO AT RAILROAD
CROSSINGS BUT NOT EVERY CROSSING HAS THOSE ARMS OR EVEN THE BELLS
AND LIGHTS SO PAYING ATTENTION IS PARAMOUNT.
IF STOPPING AN AUTOMOBILE ON A DIME IS DIFFICULT, TRY STOPPING
A 100-TON LOCOMOTIVE WITH 50 RAIL CARS IN 2000 WHILE WAITING
FOR THE CROSSINGS FOR THE TRAINS MAY BE A 5-MINUTE BURDEN FOR THE
DRIVERS WHAT THE PUBLIC MAY NOT SEE DIRECTLY IS THE POSITIVE
IMPACT THAT RAIL HAS HAD NOT ONLY ON THE LOCAL ECONOMY BUT ON
THE ENVIRONMENT AS WELL AND THAT INCLUDES BOTH THE CLASS 1
OPERATORS AND A SHORT LINE COMPANY LIKE PIONEER VALLEY
RAILROAD.
>> IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IN KEEPING REGION ECONOMICALLY
COMPETITIVE AND OTHER BENEFITS PARTICULARLY ON THE
ENVIRONMENTAL SIDE, TAKING TRUCKS OFF THE ROAD, REDUCING
GREENHOUSE GASES WOULD CONNECT TO YOU CLIMATE CHANGE, ET
CETERA, ET CETERA, ET CETERA, SO IT'S A GOOD THING.
PEOPLE THINK IT'S SMALL BECAUSE IT'S CLASS-FREE.
IT MAY BE SMALL BUT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF THE WHOLE
WAY THE SYSTEM WORKS.
>> FOR EVERY WITH WHICH THOSE COMPANIES THAT COMES AND LOCATES
ALONG THE RAIL LINE FOR BUSINESS PURPOSES, THAT CREATES JOBS AND
THERE'S A HUGE ECONOMIC SPIN THAT COMES OFF OF THAT AND
THEY'VE BEEN GREAT MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY AS WELL, YOU KNOW,
BACK IN THE EARLY 2000S, THE CITY OF WESTFIELD PURCHASED THE
SOUTHERN PART OF THAT LINE AND CREATED THE COLUMBIA GREENWAY.
THEY CREATED AN ECONOMY NOT JUST IN THE JOBS AND ECONOMIC
OPPORTUNITIES IT PROVIDES BUT ALSO BECOMING REALLY A PART OF
THE FABRIC OF THE COMMUNITY. ♪