BNSF to commence Pacific Northwest-Texas expedited intermodal service

The Berkshire Hathaway-owned Class I railway said its new intermodal service connecting Portland, Ore. and Seattle, Wash. with Dallas Fort Worth will provide comparable transit times to single-driver, over-the-road options.    BNSF Railway Co. next week will commence a new expedited intermodal service between the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Texas, according to a statement from the company.
   The Class I railroad said the new service, which connects Portland, Ore. and Seattle, Wash. with Dallas Fort Worth (AllianceTexas), will cut transit times by up to two days compared with other current rail transit options. The service will provide comparable transit times to single-driver, over-the-road options, BNSF added.
   The new service option is the first of several new routes that will be launched over the next year, and will help farmers in the Pacific Northwest bring their crops to market more efficiently.
   “Faster, more direct routing means agriculture producers can move apples and other produce to southern markets at the peak of freshness,” the company said.
   Freight traffic along the route will run Monday through Friday, in both directions, and include a refueling option along the way for refrigerated equipment carrying temperature-sensitive cargo.
   “We regularly work with our customers to identify and offer new and better transportation solutions to make their supply chains more effective. So we are constantly looking for opportunities to help meet consumer demands and this new service checks all the right boxes for adding efficiency to the marketplace,” Katie Farmer, BNSF group vice president, Consumer Products said of the new intermodal service. “With an economy as dynamic as ours, BNSF is focused on delivering options that strengthen the competitive advantage of U.S. companies through our country’s supply chain.”
   Owned by billionaire Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and based in Forth Worth, Texas, BNSF operates around 32,500 route miles of track in 28 states and three provinces in Canada.