BNSF Cuts Domestic Intermodal Transit Times

BNSF Railway implemented service improvements that cut scheduled trip times for 60 percent of its premium domestic intermodal traffic, saving shippers up to half a day on their long hauls, the company said Tuesday.

The railroad said its changes also add 16 more days of domestic service frequency across its network.

George Duggan, the carrier’s vice president for domestic intermodal business, said “these changes are a direct result of feedback from our domestic carrier customers on what they need” to draw more over-the-road freight to the combination truck-rail service.

Last year, BNSF made 77 schedule changes to its domestic hauls of truck containers and trailers, reducing trip times by a combined 300 hours while adding 32 days of service frequency.

Now, changes at the start of 2010 include cutting transit 7 to 10 hours on BNSF’s main transcontinental route between the Los Angeles/San Bernardino area and Chicago. It cut trip times between Los Angeles and Memphis, Tenn., by 4 to 6 hours, and at Houston increased inbound and outbound day-of-week frequency.

BNSF’s announcement included praise from executives at intermodal truckers Schneider National and Swift, who said the changes improve service offerings for their own customers. Such trucking partners route box shipments to the railroads and deal directly with retailers and manufacturers that are the end-users of the service.

Contact John D. Boyd at jboyd@joc.com.