The planned service will initially include two daily intermodal trains between the West Coast and Southeast in each direction. Corridor volume on the line is expected to increase with the overall expansion of the West Coast to Southeast intermodal market.
To support the planned service, BNSF will expand capacity on its rail lines connecting Avard (Oklahoma), Memphis (Tennessee) and Birmingham (Alabam).
CSX will expand its rail line between Birmingham and Atlanta, as well as its intermodal terminal in Fairburn (Georgia) near Atlanta.
The agreement also allows for continued interline (BNSF/CSX) rail service between Memphis and Florida, as well as improved connections with the Carolinas and other key Southeast destinations.
The new agreement replaces and expands on the terms of an earlier agreement, signed in 2001, that would have expired in 2007. The new service is expected to begin in early-2007, with the initial capacity projects (sidings and terminal expansion) to be completed by end-2007. The agreement also allows for future capacity expansion along the corridor.