August 30, 2025 - TRA Newswire -

Unlike Union Pacific Railroad, which is planning to marry and change the name and company colors of East coast-based Norfolk Southern to its own, Fort Worth-based BNSF Railway only want a dance partner and is forming an alliance with East-coast rival CSX.

In a news release this week BNSF and CSX announced several new intermodal service products that they say will offer customers seamless, efficient, coast-to-coast solutions to ship between the western and eastern U.S., much of which will be routed through Texas.

In July, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern announced an agreement to create the country's first transcontinental railroad, connecting over 50,000 route miles across 43 states. It would link around 100 ports and cover nearly every corner of the country. If approved by the Surface Transportation Board (STB), the deal would be the largest buy-out in railroad history. 

BNSF and CSX however, decided to take a different approach with a joint marketing agreement that does not require review or approval from the STB and can take effect immediately. UP and NS will be required to wade through what could be months or a year or more of federal review before a merger decision is handed down. 

The Surface Transportation Board toughened their merger rules in 2001, following a service meltdown when Union Pacific bought out Southern Pacific. Pre-merger shipments that were normally scheduled for delivery in five days took as many as 30 days, as out-of-sync computer systems lost track of freight cars.

Class 1 railroads have been sharpening their sales teams, presentations and operations since the 2023 merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern resulting in streamlined freight services between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. CPKC's marketing efforts were a wake up call for railroads that had been losing market share. In the last decade, freight rail's share of business shrank from 51% to 37%, while trucking's market share grew from 49% to 63%. 

New services on the BNSF / CSX agreement will include:

• The introduction of new, coast-to-coast, direct domestic intermodal services between Southern California and Charlotte, North Carolina and Jacksonville, Florida
• In addition, a new service will also be launched between Phoenix, Arizona, and Atlanta, Georgia, aiming to convert over-the-road (OTR) freight to rail through a seamless product between the two railroads.
• The introduction of new direct international intermodal services between the Port of New York and New Jersey, and Norfolk, Virginia, and Kansas City. 

BNSF and CSX said the new intermodal service “will offer immediate value for customers by increasing flexibility and optionality, while delivering integrated service for freight moving across the U.S.”

Between Phoenix and Flagstaff, two new 10,000-foot sidings will further support this growing market by enabling more efficient meet/pass operations on the route connecting to BNSF’s Southern Transcon.

“This collaboration between BNSF and CSX demonstrates the power of partnership, delivering greater flexibility, efficiency and value for our customers,” said BNSF Group Vice President of Consumer Products Jon Gabriel. We are looking forward to these offerings providing immediate, streamlined service to the supply chain across key markets nationwide.”

“Through this new connectivity, CSX and BNSF are connecting Western and Eastern U.S. markets, creating faster, more reliable service,” said Drew Johnson, Vice President, Intermodal Sales and Marketing at CSX. “Together, we’re opening access to key markets and strengthening options for our mutual customers. ”