UP, NS kick off quicker westbound coast-to-coast service

UP, NS kick off quicker westbound coast-to-coast service Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern Railway announced Monday a new westbound freight rail service that will cut a day off the trip for standard intermodal freight from the Southeast to Los Angeles, Calif.
   An eastbound service was launched by the two railroads in May. According to the two firms, the new coast-to-coast service is part of the railroads’ effort to improve capacity, service quality and speed by shifting domestic rail traffic to a new, shorter route over the Shreveport, La., gateway.
   The new service was made possible by the completion of the first phase of improvements on the Meridian Speedway, NS and Kansas City Southern’s joint venture corridor between Meridian, Miss., and Shreveport.
   Omaha, Neb.-based UP and Norfolk, Va.-based NS successfully ran test trains along the Meridian corridor last December. By shifting cargo from the traditional Memphis gateway route to the new Shreveport route, the railroads eliminated almost 130 miles from the route.
   The new westbound service provides fourth-morning availability for the railroads' BlueStreak intermodal shipments from Atlanta to Los Angeles, fifth morning from Charlotte, N.C., and Jacksonville, Fla., and sixth morning from Miami.
   UP and NS are backing their new service offering with a limited-time “on-time-or-free” guarantee on the BlueStreak SuperFlyer service between the Southeast and Los Angeles. The Bluestreak trains handle both containers and trailers, providing what the UP and NS describe as the only ride for trailers in the Southeast/Los Angeles lane.