BNSF, NS BEGIN ASSURANCE PROGRAM FOR REEFER COMMODITIES

BNSF, NS BEGIN ASSURANCE PROGRAM FOR REEFER COMMODITIES    The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co. and Norfolk Southern Railroad Co. said Monday they plan to introduce a carload service assurance program for temperature-controlled commodities moving from the Pacific Northwest to the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast.
   The service will start Dec. 1 from four locations in Washington State: Seattle, Tacoma, Pasco, and Yakima.
   Under terms of the program, shippers can purchase service assurance for a $500 premium. For each load of freight that does not reach its destination on time, BNSF and NS will reimburse shippers double their premium, or $1,000.
   “We designed the program to attract shippers who have been reluctant to ship by rail in the past,” said Steve Branscum, group vice president for BNSF’s Consumer Products Business Unit.
   “This new partnership allows NS and BNSF to offer some of the fastest transit times in the industry for perishable rail shipments to destinations throughout the East,” said Don Seale, senior vice president, Merchandise Marketing, for Norfolk Southern.