Grafton & Upton RR Signs Deal With Goods Shipper
Grafton & Upton Railroad has signed a contract with a major shipper of bulk goods that officials see as a boost for jobs and new economic activity around the railroad’s yard in Hopedale.
Railroad owner Jon Delli Priscoli told Hopedale selectmen of the deal with a new company, G&U Logistix, which will conduct transloading operations out of the Hopedale site, bordered by Hopedale Street and Route 16, starting no later than Oct. 1, according to a statement from the railroad.
Local and state officials welcomed the news from the railroad as the yard has not seen activity for more than a decade, the railroad said. Officials said the rail line will bring in building materials, palletized fiber, rolled paper and toys and games for G&U Logistix, which will transfer the goods to trucks and ship them to retailers and wholesalers.
G&U will operate initially out of the existing Wickes Lumber building, but plans to construct its own buildings on the site, freeing up the Wickes building for another customer, according to the railroad. The shipper’s owner, Shaun Keefe, told selectmen he expects to start handling about 600 boxcars a year, which will initially mean one train per day. That will generate 60 inbound and outbound truck trips each day, all of which will use routes 16 and 140 to get to Interstate 495 and points beyond.
The railroad is in the middle of a renovation project for its 15-mile-long track that runs from North Grafton south to Milford, between CSX Corp. interchanges at each location. Doug Pizzi, a spokesman for the railroad, said the northern third from North Grafton to West Upton is complete. The middle third, which runs from West Upton to Hopedale, will be completed in October.
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