Rail service improvements planned by BNSF to boost freight transportation volume
BNSF Railway, the railroad with the largest intermodal, coal, and grain traffic, is making strides to enhance its merchandise network and carload business. The railway has implemented a series of strategic improvements aimed at increasing service quality, frequency, and strengthening partnerships with short line railroads.
The First Mile/Last Mile group, consisting of 13 people from BNSF's Shortline Development and Industrial Products Business Development teams, has been instrumental in driving these changes. The group focuses on understanding the needs of merchandise customers and collaborating with them to improve local service, leading to growth.
One of the key strategies for boosting the carload network involves delivering more frequent customer switching. This means increasing how often a customer's railcars are moved or serviced. For instance, facilities receiving service three days per week have been upgraded to five days, while others have gone from five days to daily service.
BNSF is also building tighter partnerships with key short line connections to expand and support the carload business. The railway's Short Line Select program, which includes Genesee & Wyoming's Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway, Burlington Junction Railway, Genesee & Wyoming's Portland & Western Railway, TNW Corporation's Texas Northwestern Railroad and Red River Valley & Western, and Watco's Timber Rock Railroad, is a testament to this approach.
Regarding improvements in the efficiency of BNSF’s merchandise network, several targeted operational changes have been made. Terminal dwell times—the amount of time cars spend waiting in yards—have been significantly reduced, notably at hump yards, which handle sorting railcars. BNSF reported an all-time best terminal dwell in May 2025, with a 17% improvement (down to 21.9 hours) compared to the previous year.
A strong focus on on-time train departures has also improved the reliability and fluidity of shipments. The service frequency boost, more frequent local train service to customers' spurs, directly supports faster car movements and better network performance.
These efforts collectively improve the efficiency and responsiveness of BNSF’s merchandise (single-car) network, reversing industry trends of declining service frequency and longer dwell times.
In addition to these operational improvements, BNSF is also investing in technology to further streamline its operations. The railway is building an in-house tech team that will develop BNSF-specific systems for its customers, and plans to improve the suite of technology tools that customers use to interact with the railroad.
BNSF is also expanding its Certified Sites to include locations on short lines, such as a site in the Mobile Gateway Park on the AGR in Alabama and a site on the Portland & Western that's 45 miles north of Portland and will emphasize import/export containerized traffic.
The next step in BNSF's merchandise growth efforts will be improving the suite of technology tools that customers use to interact with the railroad. Customers should see improvements rolled out over the next six to 18 months, according to BNSF officials.
These strategic moves reflect BNSF's commitment to both expanding its carload business and enhancing operational efficiency to improve customer satisfaction and network fluidity.
| Aspect | Strategy / Improvement | |-----------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------| | Carload network growth | Service upgrades with more frequent customer switching; tighter short line partnerships | | Merchandise network efficiency | Reduced terminal dwell at hump yards; on-time departures; increased service frequency for customers |
[1] Source: BNSF Railway press releases and statements.
The first sentence: "BNSF Railway is integrating technology into its operations to contribute to the streamlining and efficiency of its merchandise network."
The second sentence: "The railway's strategy for carload network growth also involves improving the suite of technology tools that customers use to interact with the railroad, aiming for improvements over the next six to 18 months."
