STRAWBERRIES IN JANUARY ?

Over the holidays a dear friend sent me a wonderful present.  Not the proverbial “muffin basket” (of which I write so often), but a fresh fruit bonanza from Edible Arrangements that looked like a bouquet of flowers… beautiful and oh so tasty!

As we devoured the perfectly ripe melon and delicious strawberries, it got me thinking about how lucky we in Connecticut are to be able to enjoy fresh, out-of-season fruit in the depths of winter.  But how it makes its way to our supermarkets is not only a tale of botany but of logistics and long-distance transportation at some cost to our environment: nature assisted by fossil fuels.

Take for example:

STRAWBERRIES:   Mostly from Mexico, these are trucked but are prone to spoilage, hence the price.  Trade disputes and seasonal Customs duties have periodically increased costs, also affecting avocados and berries.  Climate impact:  relatively high.

ORANGES:            Mostly from California and Florida, this fruit is picked, washed, sanitized, sorted and packed within 24 hours of ripening on the vine.  Stored at 38 – 45 degrees Fahrenheit in refrigerated trucks it begins a four to six day drive cross-country.  At food distribution hubs the truckloads are broken into smaller lots for local delivery.  Climate impact:  moderate.

GRAPES:     Your favorite snacking fruit has come a long way… 5000+ miles from Chile.  After harvest the grapes are chilled to 32 degrees and packed in “reefers”, refrigerated shipping containers, for the 12 – 14 day ocean voyage to ports like Wilmington DE and Philadelphia for trucking to Connecticut.  Climate impact:  lower due to shipment by sea.

BLUEBERRIES:      These are grown in Chile and Peru, hand-picked, washed, graded and packaged for refrigerated shipment to the US by boat.  Climate impact:  lower per‑pound impact because sea freight is fuel‑efficient.

BANANAS:   This is the perfect fruit for long-distance delivery.  In Ecuador, Costa Rica and Colombia bananas grow on massive bunches weighing about 100 pounds.  Harvested while green and fully mature (but not ripe), they are washed, cut and packed into 40-pound boxes which must be stored at exactly 56 – 58 degrees and shipped in reefers with sophisticated monitoring of oxygen and CO2 levels.  After their 8 – 14 day ocean journey to the US East Coast they are trucked to huge ripening facilities where ethylene gas is slowly added.  In about a week they’re ready for local stores.  Climate impact:  relatively low.

PINEAPPLES:        Almost all come from Costa Rica and Ecuador, not Hawaii. Picked almost fully-ripe, they are packed and shipped in reefers at a steady 45 – 50 degrees.  From harvesting to our local stores it’s a 10 to 16 day journey.  Climate impact:  moderate.

MELONS:     Cantaloupe and honeydew are largely imported from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico in winter, with the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean sources supplying some specialty melons.  Climate impact:   moderate due to long distance reefer trucking.

LOCAL GREENHOUSES:           Not everything we enjoy in the winter is imported as some Connecticut greenhouse keep turning out leafy greens, some tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs year round.  Climate impact: Minimal transport needs are offset by substantial winter heating requirements, which can give greenhouse crops a higher overall climate impact than their short travel distance might suggest.

So the next time you’re standing in the produce aisle, marveling at strawberries that taste like July, remember you’re not just buying fruit:  you’re looking at the literal ‘fruits’ of a globe-spanning transportation system running on diesel, refrigeration, container ships, human beings and carefully timed logistics.  It’s a small reminder that our everyday conveniences quietly depend on a vast transportation network, one we rarely think about until those strawberries show up in the dead of winter.

 

WHO'S RUNNING THIS RAILROAD?

As we all adjust to the crazy new ticketing rules on Metro-North, it’s an appropriate time to step back and explain the bizarre patchwork of ownership and responsibility that makes our state’s railroads possible.  Because, when problems arise we should know who to blame and hold accountable.

If you’ve ever wondered who’s actually in charge when your train is late, your ticket doesn’t scan, and parking enforcement is already writing you up, congratulations, you’ve stumbled upon the mysteries of Connecticut rail governance.

You may not realize it, but a single train ride on commuter rail in our state may be touched by seven or more different agencies, each responsible for a different part of your ride.

THE RAILROAD TRACKS:         Fortunately, the State of CT owns the railroad tracks, signals, power lines and right-of-way from Greenwich to New Haven, the largest section of the Northeast Corridor that is not owned by Amtrak.  That gives us more control of ‘our’ trains.  But Amtrak owns the tracks, etc. north of New Haven to Massachusetts (aka The Hartford Line) and east of New Haven (Shore Line East) to New London.

THE STATIONS:     Here’s where it gets more confusing.  Most train stations in the state are owned by CDOT but a few are owned by the towns and cities where they are located.  In some cases the town owns the station but it sits on CDOT-owned land. 

As for who is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the stations, it’s usually the owner but CDOT contracts with third parties to run big stations like Stamford, New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport.  Remember this when you’re slip-sliding on the platform waiting for your train.

STATION PARKING:         Parking at the stations is ultimately controlled by CDOT as they own most of the parking lots.  At the big stations with parking structures (Stamford and New Haven, for example) CDOT hires third parties to run the show.  In the smaller towns, where CDOT owns the land, they may lease it to the towns to operate.

The cost of parking is often determined by the local authorities, in most cases the towns or agents of CDOT.  On CDOT-owned land the parking is available to all, regardless of where you live.  In town-owned lots, rates and even access can be limited to local residents.

Commuter rail may be regional, but parking policy seems aggressively parochial.

THE TRAIN CARS:           On the New Haven line, CDOT owns about half of the railcars with Metro-North (MTA) owning the rest.  On Shore Line East and The Hartford Line, CDOT owns the cars except those operated with Amtrak equipment.

TRAIN OPERATIONS:      CDOT hires Metro-North to run the trains on the New Haven line and branches.  The two agencies work under an “operating agreement” the size of a Manhattan phone book and just as readable.  On Shore Line East the trains are run by Amtrak and on The Hartford Line some trains are run by Amtrak and others by a CDOT contractor, TransitAmerica.

SCHEDULES:         CDOT tells Metro-North the level of service they want and then works with that agency on how to deliver it (given financial constraints in their state budget).  On Shore Line East and The Hartford Line it’s a similar deal, but this time working with Amtrak.

THE FARES:          CDOT sets commuter fares for trains in our state, not Metro-North or Amtrak.  The fares usually increase in lockstep: the latest MTA fare hike in NY soon to be matched by July’s CDOT fare increase.

 

How does all this work out for you, the rider?  How can a single train trip be touched by so many state and local agencies, towns and city departments?

The short answer is… it does work, sort of.  But it leaves passengers confused when it doesn’t.  If you get a parking ticket at the station, do you think Metro-North is to blame?  If your train is running late or over-crowded, who do you call?

Ours is an imperfect system, a relic of decades of bi-state compromises, overlapping authorities, and well-meaning bureaucrats and operators doing their best inside a structure that practically guarantees confusion.