NS, BNSF TO PROVIDE JOINT TRANSCONTINENTAL INTERMODAL SERVICE

NS, BNSF TO PROVIDE JOINT TRANSCONTINENTAL INTERMODAL SERVICE    Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Norfolk Southern Railway Corp. said Thursday they have agreed to provide non-stop transcontinental intermodal service between the West Coast, Southwest and Southeast, starting May 21.
   The service will link Richmond, Modesto, Fresno, Los Angeles and San Bernardino, Calif.; and Phoenix; with Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C., and Jacksonville.
   The service will provide fifth-morning availability for westbound and eastbound freight moving between southern California and Atlanta, the railroads said.
   “This new service is the first truly integrated operating agreement between BNSF and NS,” said Steve Branscum, group vice president of BNSF Consumer Products.
   “The new service not only will offer transit improvements for our existing customers using this route, but also will provide a competitive alternative for customers serving Southeastern markets,” said Mike McClellan, NS vice president of intermodal marketing.
   NS will add at least 1,300 53-foot containers to the fleet it provides for the North American Container System, a stacktrain network comprised of 10 North American intermodal rail networks. NACS has a dedicated fleet of nearly 11,000 48-foot and 53-foot intermodal containers.