Anacostia Rail Holdings’ Northern Lines Railway (NLR) and Jaguar’s Columbia Basin Railroad (CBRW) have joined BNSF’s Shortline Select™ program, bringing the total number of members to nine. The goal of the program, which launched last fall, is to provide shippers “with proven performance, shared data, and integrated solutions that can support an efficient supply chain capable of growing with their business,” according to the Class I railroad.
The 25-mile NLR and the 86-mile CBRW interchange with BNSF at St. Cloud, Minn., and Connell, Wash., respectively (see maps below).
The Shortline Select™ program “combines the benefit of short line customized service with BNSF’s vast network reach, which spans 32,500 miles, 28 states, and three Canadian provinces,” according to BNSF. Additionally, it “align[s] service schedules, improve[s] handoffs, and use[s] shared data systems to ensure smoother car movement between BNSF and short line partners.”
Program members collaborate with BNSF on economic development and growth initiatives through its:
- “Premier Transloads: Transload providers on Shortline Select railroads may be included in BNSF’s Premier Transload Program, a network of more than 400 transloaders across the BNSF system.
- “Certified Sites: Select locations on Shortline Select railroads may be eligible for BNSF’s Certified Site designation, which is an inventory of available, rail-ready industrial sites that are pre-approved for development, increasing speed to market.”
Shortline Select members are also said to partner with BNSF “on a suite of operational process improvements and have pre-defined economic arrangements with BNSF that enable expedited responsiveness to customer rate requests.”
“We’re proud to welcome two strong short line partners to our Shortline Select program,” BNSF General Director of Marketing Mark Ganaway said during the Nov. 4 announcement. “Both NLR and CBRW exemplify BNSF’s dedication to dependable, integrated service and share our focus on supporting customer success through collaborative growth.”
“We’re honored to join the BNSF Shortline Select program,” NLR Senior Director of Sales and Marketing Katie Sackett commented. “Our two-decade relationship with BNSF has always been focused on supporting safe, efficient, and green supply chain options for our customers, and this new initiative is a welcome next step. We look forward to growing our partnership for many years to come.”
“This collaboration with BNSF enables greater efficiency through data sharing and integrated solutions that drive safer, more reliable, and more efficient service for our customers across the CBRW network,” added CBRW Senior Vice President of Commercial Development Tim Enayati. “By focusing on improving key operational metrics with BNSF, we can deliver meaningful improvements for our customers moving time-sensitive commodities, including agriculture and food products. Since Jaguar acquired the CBRW in August 2025, we’ve already worked to make significant progress in the reduction of dwell time and interchange efficiency at Connell. By working directly with the BNSF team on these key metrics, we will further enhance our efficiency which will strengthen service offerings for our customers and support their continued growth.”
In Shortline Select’s first year, it has “shown proven results in service performance by reducing car dwell, improving interchange fluidity and growing traffic volume across the participating short line railroads,” according to BNSF.
The other small-road members are: Genesee & Wyoming’s (G&W) 339-mile Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway (AGR), which interchanges with the Class I at Amory, Miss.; Burlington Junction Railway (BJRY), which links with the Class I at Quincy, Montgomery, Rochelle, and Wilmington, Ill., and Burlington, Mt. Pleasant, and Ottumwa, Iowa; G&W’s Portland & Western Railroad (PNWR), which connects with BNSF at Vancouver, Wash., and Portland, Ore.; TNW Corporation’s Texas Northwestern Railrway, which links with BNSF in the Texas Panhandle (TXNW is based in Sunray, Tex.); Red River Valley & Western Railroad (RRVW), Railway Age’s 1997 Regional Railroad of the Year, which operates more than 500 miles of track, primarily in the southeast quarter of North Dakota and as far north as Maddock, N.Dak.; and Watco’s Timber Rock Railroad (TIBR), which interchanges with BNSF in Kirbysville, Tex.
Separately, BNSF in June formed a First Mile/Last Mile team that combined its Shortline Development and Industrial Business Products Business Development groups to grow carload volume across its network.
