BNSF and NS team up on intermodal service

Effective immediately, the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF) and Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NS) are now providing a seamless, coast-to-coast intermodal trailer service for time-sensitive premium freight moving between Southern California and Rutherford, Pa., and Croxton, N.J.

Eastbound service will run Thursday through Sunday. Westbound service began Tuesday, August 14 and will run Tuesday through Saturday.

BNSF provides the line-haul service between Southern California and Chicago, while NS provides the line-haul service between Chicago and the East Coast. The train runs non-stop with only a crew change at Norfolk Southern’s Ashland Avenue Yard in Chicago.

“This new premium service reduces transcontinental rail transit time and allows customers with very time-sensitive freight the opportunity to sell coast-to-coast third and fourth day service to the marketplace-something previously only available through team driver over-the-road transportation,” said Steve Branscum, group vice president, BNSF Consumer Products Business Unit.

“The new intermodal trailer service will decrease transit times between coasts by at least half a day and reduce cross-town drayage through Chicago. We are building on the successful seamless container services Norfolk Southern and BNSF launched earlier this year linking California to the Northeast and the Southeast. This is another step in the continuing evolution of interline products we plan to offer customers,” said Michael R. McClellan, vice president, NS Intermodal Marketing.