Why No UPS/FEDEX Rail?

I know CMHX has a pretty sizable fleet of ex amtrak express boxcars, one of the customers the job a work switches gets them daily. And UPS is huge business for CSX, a good chunk of the intermodel carloads in worcester and springfield, ma is all ups.

UPS ships by rail.

Does FedEx even ship by rail? I have seen some pics but nothing real conclusive.

Otto Vondrak wrote:[moved to operations from equipment- ov]

We used to have something called Railway Express Agency. They had a built in network of agencies- almost every passenger station in America was a "retail outlet" to ship a package by REA. There were a lot more passenger routes, too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_Express_Agency

-otto-

It took deregulation and time, but UPS and Fed Ex have morphed into the true modern-day successor to REA. At one time you needed an account to ship via these carriers, but today you can just go to their own retail stores (The UPS Store and FedEx Kinkos) or partner locations (Staples ships UPS, the post office ships FedEx, etc.) and conveniently ship your package. UPS ground service is much better than the unpredictable parcel post service offered by the USPS - you get overnight delivery within a 400 mile radius, and two to three day delivery to much of the country for a comparable cost.

Does FedEx even ship by rail?

Yes, they do, now that they have ground services. Not much though. Much of it is peak loading and trailer repositioning.

As for UPS... everyone's pretty well alluded to how important they are as a railroad shipper. How important? If you've not been to Chicago, do a googlemap search of Willow Springs, IL (satellite view). See that big intermodal yard you can zoom in on? Dedicated to UPS. A picture's worth a thousand words.