BNSF Reduces Transit Schedules on 60 Percent of Its Domestic Premium Intermodal Traffic

BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) today announced that it has reduced transit schedules on 60 percent of its Domestic Intermodal Premium Container traffic, and added 16 more days of service.

“These changes are a direct result of feedback from our domestic carrier customers on what they need to attract more over-the-road freight to a truck-rail intermodal solution,” said George Duggan, BNSF vice president, Domestic Intermodal.

One of the changes includes reducing transit time by 7 to 10 hours on BNSF’s premier Transcontinental route between Los Angeles/San Bernardino and Chicago, giving customers a morning availability and allowing for same day delivery.

BNSF also reduced transit time between Memphis and Los Angeles by 4 to 6 hours, and increased Houston, inbound and outbound day-of-week frequency, along with several other changes that can be found at www.bnsf.com.

“We’re pleased to have worked with BNSF to create improved intermodal service offerings for the marketplace,” said Paul Bergant, J.B. Hunt chief marketing officer and president, Intermodal. “These changes come just in time for bid season and allow us to attract more retailers to the efficiencies that truck-rail intermodal has to offer.”

According to Dave Howland, Schneider Intermodal vice president, Rail Management, “These changes not only better fit the needs of our customers, but they also offer customers the single most effective way to reduce emissions in their transportation service, potentially reducing carbon emissions on average by more than 50 percent.”

“With more capacity, speed and now better service options, these service enhancements allow Swift to continue to provide its customers with flexibility and truck-like reliability at a cost-effective price,” said Mark Young, president, Swift Intermodal.

These enhancements build on the 77 service changes BNSF made to its Domestic Intermodal service in 2009, reducing transit schedules by 300 hours and adding 32 days of additional frequency.

A subsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (NYSE:BNI), BNSF Railway Company operates one of the largest North American rail networks, with about 32,000 route miles in 28 states and two Canadian provinces. BNSF is among the world's top transporters of intermodal traffic, moves more grain than any other American railroad, carries the components of many of the products we depend on daily, and hauls enough low-sulfur coal to generate about ten percent of the electricity produced in the United States. BNSF is an industry leader in Web-enabling a variety of customer transactions at www.bnsf.com.