Rail-Car Service to Undercut Truck Carriers

BNSF Railway and its logistics arm have entered into an agreement with Autolog Corporation to bring a Car-Rail service between Phoenix and Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul and New York City which caters to ‘snowbirds” - people with dual residencies who spend the winter in Arizona – at almost half the cost of using a truck hauler, company officials said. The car hauling service will begin March 8. Currently,

Jan. 15, 2004

The car hauling service will begin March 8.

Currently, more than 250,000 persons reside in the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas during the winter months and return to homes in the Mid-West and the Northeast in the spring, said Myron Levine, President of Autolog Corporation. “They have only two alternatives to transport their personal vehicle: Option 1, drive the vehicle themselves, or Option 2, hire an independent trucking firm. The typical cost associated with either of these options is in excess of $800.”

The average transit time for vehicles using the Car-Rail service to the Midwest will be approximately 7-10 days versus 14-21 days for an independent trucking company and the cost to transport a normal size car will start at $450, said Levine.