Union Pacific Railroad (UP) of Omaha, NE and Norfolk Southern Railway Co. (NS) of Norfolk, VA are launching a new intermodal container service between Los Angeles and Atlanta, with a guaranteed on-time delivery option, beginning Oct. 1.
The new service, named Blue Streak, will offer customers a choice of three service levels: Standard, Premium and guaranteed SuperFlyer. The service levels are designed to meet a broader range of customer pricing and transit requirements, the railroads said. All three are aimed at competing with the long-haul trucking market, said Michael R. McClellan, vp-intermodal marketing for NS.
“Each year, tens of thousands of trucks haul dry-van freight along the 2,200-mile route between Atlanta and Los Angeles,” said Randy Blackburn, UP’s vp-intermodal marketing. “We believe there’s tremendous opportunity to bring that truck freight to rail intermodal with products that meet customer requirements.”
The SuperFlyer service will offer on-time or free service for each load that does not meet the scheduled availability time for customer pick-up. SuperFlyer service features include guaranteed train space, designated equipment from the EMP program of 22,000 48-foot and 53-foot containers, preferred cut-off and availability times and active shipment monitoring, including customer updates.
Premium service offers priority train space, freight monitoring and improved cut-off and availability times. Standard service allows price-sensitive customers access to Blue Streak trains, subject to space availability. This seamless, double-stack container service will be handled by Union Pacific between Los Angeles and Memphis and by Norfolk Southern between Memphis and Atlanta.
