BNSF, CSX Intermodal Open New Service

The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co. and CSX Intermodal have again joined forces to offer new intermodal freight lanes, this time between Dallas/Fort Worth TX, Houston TX and Cleveland OH and Columbus OH. This new service cuts rail transit times in half, from about seven days to three days between DFW and the Ohio Valley and to four days between Houston and the Ohio Valley, the companies said.

Steve Branscum, group vp for BNSF, said this expansion of intermodal service is designed to compete with trucking services in those areas. “Historically, railroads have focused on providing service to the interchange point,” he explained. “Over the past year, through these types of partnerships, we are reaching beyond our core network to design seamless service offerings that directly compete with over-the-road transportation, giving shippers more value for their transportation dollar.”

“Our goal is to provide shippers the precision of truck and the value of rail,” added Clarence Gooden, president of CSX Intermodal. “With three-day service between Texas and Ohio, we are doing that.”