CN, BNSF in routing protocol agreement

CN, BNSF in routing protocol agreement    Canadian National and Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co. jointly announced Wednesday a routing protocol agreement designed to streamline their exchange of rail traffic at major rail gateways.
   Implemented over a three-month period, the new protocol will see CN and BNSF establish a structured plan to direct rail traffic flows through the most efficient interchange locations. The major interchange points for traffic moving between CN and BNSF are Vancouver, B.C.; Noyes, Minn.; Superior, Wis.; Chicago; Memphis; and New Orleans.
   CN and BNSF said the routing protocol will cause some changes in traffic. Traffic from the Canadian prairies will be consolidated at the Noyes interchange when moving to the western United States and at the Superior interchange when destined to the central United States and Texas. Traffic moving to and from the south central United States will be interchanged at Memphis and New Orleans, avoiding congestion in Chicago.
   “We are pleased to be able to establish a routing protocol with the BNSF. This will create a more seamless service for the customers and generate more capacity for the railroads,” said James Foote, CN’s executive vice-president, sales and marketing.
   “As part of our effort to streamline the interchange process with all our service partners, this agreement will provide more consistent, dependable service for customers whose shipments move over both railways,” said John Lanigan, BNSF’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer.