CN, BNSF reach routing protocol agreement to expedite interchange traffic

CN and The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF) have announced a routing protocol agreement to streamline their exchange of rail traffic at major gateways.

Under the protocol, CN and BNSF have established a structured plan to direct rail traffic flows through more efficient interchange locations, a change that will improve transit times and asset utilization for the customers of CN and BNSF, they claim.

The new routing protocol will be implemented over a three-month period.

“We are pleased to be able to establish a routing protocol with the BNSF. This will create a more seamless service for the customers and generate more capacity for the railroads," said James Foote, CN’s executive vice-president, sales and marketing.

“As part of our effort to streamline the interchange process with all our service partners, this agreement will provide more consistent, dependable service for customers whose shipments move over both railways," said John Lanigan, BNSF’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer.

The major interchange points for traffic moving between CN and BNSF are Vancouver, B.C., Noyes, Minn., Superior, Wis., Chicago, Memphis, and New Orleans.

The routing protocol will result in a number of changes in traffic: – Traffic from the Canadian prairies will be consolidated at the Noyes interchange when moving to the western United States and at the Superior interchange when destined to the central United States and Texas; – Traffic moving to and from the south central United States will be interchanged at Memphis and at New Orleans, avoiding congestion in Chicago.