BNSF on Sept. 6 reported launching a new short line program to provide “expanded opportunities for customers to reach an even broader consumer base.” The first small road to participate was Genesee & Wyoming’s (G&W) 339-mile Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway (AGR), which interchanges with the Class I at Amory, Miss. Three more small roads have now been added to the program, BNSF reported Nov. 15.
Called “Shortline Select,” the goal of the new program is to “drive growth by improving service performance with participating short lines through enhanced communication, seamless movement tracking, data transparency, [and] faster equipment turns/reduced dwell,” according to BNSF.
As the inaugural Shortline Select participant, AGR will collaborate with the Class I on economic development and growth initiatives. BNSF said transload providers on AGR may be included in its Premier Transload Program, a network of more than 400 transloaders across its 32,500-mile system spanning 28 states and three Canadian provinces; and selected locations on AGR may be eligible for the BNSF Certified Site designation, which is described as “an inventory of available, rail-ready industrial sites that are pre-approved for development.”
BNSF on Nov. 15 reported via social media that it is now in partnership with Burlington Junction Railway (BJRY), which links with the Class I at Quincy, Montgomery, Rochelle, and Wilmington, Ill., and Burlington, Mt. Pleasant, and Ottumwa, Iowa; Genesee & Wyoming’s Portland & Western Railroad (PNWR), which connects with BNSF at Vancouver, Wash. and Portland, Ore.; and TNW Corporation’s Texas North Western Railway, which links with BNSF in the Texas Panhandle (TXNW is based in Sunray, Tex.).
“We’re excited to launch our new Shortline Select program with G&W’s Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway,” BNSF Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Tom Williams said during the program’s announcement on Sept. 6. “This new program is demonstrative of BNSF’s ongoing commitment to expanding and improving to meet our customer’s growing needs. Through Shortline Select, we will collaborate closely with AGR to deliver a more streamlined supply chain with enhanced visibility on interchanges, while showcasing our shared commitment to delivering excellent service for our joint customers.”
“Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway provides important rail services to industries along the Gulf Coast and into Alabama and Mississippi,” G&W’s Chief Customer Officer Mike Peters said on Sept. 6. “Our collaboration with BNSF will improve service and generate multimodal solutions for those industries and demonstrates that short lines and Class I railroads alike are focused on growth for our customers and the communities we serve.”
