Business & Tech

Edina Company Hatches Plan to Ship Eggs, Produce By Rail

McKay TransCold will send a train with 50 refrigerated cars between the Chicago area and California.

An Edina logistics company, McKay TransCold, has formed a partnership with BNSF Railway Co. to use 50 refrigerated rail cars to shuttle eggs and other produce and products between the Midwest and the West Coast.

When the "TransCold Express" launches in April, a 50-car train will begin the weekly trip from the Chicago area to the Central Valley in California, the Star Tribune is reporting.

Moving west: eggs, frozen pizzas, coffee creamer, cereal bars. Headed east: carrots, grapes, broccoli, citrus, cheese and California wine.

McKay TransCold, a two-year-old start-up, will more than double in size, from 13 to 27 employees, by April 30 to prepare for the start of the service. The company generated revenues of $2.5 million in 2013, but expects the train service to increase revenues exponentially to $65 million per year.

“We had freight going to the West Coast,” Randy McKay told the Star Tribune. “That’s probably the biggest differentiator. We could be more competitive because we could pay for the freight both ways.”


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