CN, CSX Transportation in joined-up pricing for carload customers

CN, CSX Transportation in joined-up pricing for carload customers    Canadian National Railway Co. and CSX Transportation announced a jointly developed electronic tool offering customers instantaneous interline prices for carload shipments moving over their networks.
   “A+B Pricing” uses Web services technology and allows railroad account managers to retrieve and combine CN’s and CSX Transportation’s revenue requirements to quote interline prices in real time for any origin, destination and commodity on the two rail systems.
   The railroads expect the tool to be available on their Web sites this year, for direct customer access to the originating railroad’s Web site for a combined interline price.
   “Traditionally, the process of quoting interline prices has been manually intensive and time-consuming,” said James Foote, CN’s executive vice-president, sales and marketing. “A railroad had to contact the connecting carrier by telephone or email to request a revenue requirement.
This would result in delays of days, even weeks, in getting the interline price quote to the customer.”
   CN and CSX Transportation will continue to work with other railroads and shortline partners to expand the “A+B Pricing” coverage this year.
   “Interline moves comprise more than half of our business,” said Clarence Gooden, CSX Transportation senior vice president, merchandise service group.