Railroaders place to shoot the shit.

(BNSF Railway issued the following on August 20, 2009.)

FORT WORTH, Texas Since the beginning of 2009, BNSF Railway Company has created 23 new intermodal services and established improved performance transit times on 45 different lanes. These enhancements were developed in direct response to feedback solicited from customers, providing customers with even more reliable freight transportation service and overall value.

BNSF leads the industry in velocity with service that is approximately 20 percent faster than any other carrier and an on-time performance record of better than 94 percent. Its expansive network and state-of-the-art intermodal facilities help customers take advantage of the cost and time savings, as well as the environmental benefits associated with intermodal shipping.

"We are committed to being the first and best choice for intermodal transport and can only do that by continually making service improvements based on customer needs," said Steve Branscum, group vice president, Consumer Products. "Opening new markets, increasing velocity and working closely with our customers are just a few of the reasons why BNSF is the largest intermodal carrier in North America."

BNSF has seen historic service levels throughout 2009 and anticipates further demand moving forward. To ensure the railway has the ability to reliably handle additional shipments this year, BNSF has improved processes while adding new lanes to new markets including:

Premium Container Service
Houston to/from Chicago
Kansas City, Kan., to Phoenix
St. Louis to/from Stockton, Calif.
Atlanta to Phoenix

Expedited Container Service
Chicago to/from San Bernardino, Calif.
Chicago to/from Denver
Kansas City to/from San Bernardino
Los Angeles to/from Chicago
Los Angeles to/from Atlanta
Los Angeles to/from Memphis, Tenn.

Expedited Trailer Service
Los Angeles to/from Atlanta
Los Angeles to/from Orlando, Fla.
Los Angeles to Albuquerque, N.M.

In addition to improved intermodal service on the mainline, BNSF is updating intermodal customer service online by adding new tools that help customers identify specific offerings to best meet their needs. To allow shippers to see exactly how the new and improved intermodal services will move their product through the supply chain, BNSF has created a free online Intermodal Transit Advisor that provides information on available routes, cutoff and availability times, transit time and miles between origin and destination by modes of transport. BNSF also provides an Intermodal Savings Estimatorthat analyzes route information and provides a custom report showing cost savings of BNSF intermodal shipping compared to highway shipping. For companies concerned about their impact on the environment, BNSF has created a Carbon Estimator. This online tool provides an estimate of a company's transportation carbon footprint for its BNSF rail shipments, and it allows customers to compare their carbon footprint size to what it would be if they shipped by truck alone.

About BNSF

A subsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (NYSE:BNI), BNSF Railway Company operates one of the largest North American rail networks, with about 32,000 route miles in 28 states and two Canadian provinces. BNSF is among the world's top transporters of intermodal traffic, moves more grain than any other American railroad, carries the components of many of the products we depend on daily, and hauls enough low-sulfur coal to generate about ten percent of the electricity produced in the United States. BNSF is an industry leader in Web-enabling a variety of customer transactions at www.bnsf.com.

Friday, August 21, 2009