BNSF stands up shortline rail team

BNSF Railway on Monday announced the creation of a team focused on growth of single-carload traffic. 

The First Mile/Last Mile team of 13 combines the Class I railroad’s Shortline Development and Industrial Products Business Development teams. The group, led by General Director of Marketing Mark Ganaway, will be dedicated to growing carload volume across BNSF’s 32,500-mile network. 

“As our industry continues to evolve, every single carload is important to our network, and every single rail shipment helps our customers create more value for the nation’s consumer,” said Tom Williams, BNSF executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “First Mile/Last Mile will be focused on providing solutions and breaking down those barriers, leading to a more streamlined supply chain from start to finish.”

The new team comes as the biggest railroads have seen a yearslong slump in carloads roughly paralleling the U.S. decline in manufacturing, but that may be changing amid a reset in American trade plicy. At the same time, the Class Is have been content to hand off the carload freight business to short lines whose lower cost structures and personalized marketing in many cases are built around low-volume traffic.