BNSF News

BNSF Honors Three Shortline Railroads for Partnership Excellence

2009-11-19

BNSF recognized three shortline railroads for their tremendous success and partnership over the past year with a BNSF Shortline Achievement Award.

The awards were presented at this year's 14th Annual Shortline Conference in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Plainsman Switching Company (PSC), Yellowstone Valley Railroad (YSVR) and Burlington Junction Railway (BJRY) were chosen as award recipients because of their ability to increase the volume and development of new customers and for being good stewards in their communities.

"BNSF is proud to recognize these three shortline railroads," said Pete Rickershauser, BNSF vice president, Network Development. "Each shortline has greatly exceeded the standards in customer focus, resourcefulness, operational flexibilities and a local presence in their communities. The end result has been growth business benefitting all involved supply chain stakeholders. BNSF hopes their roles will continue to expand and our relationship will continue to grow."

About the winners

PSC restored confidence in rail service to Lubbock, Texas, by attracting new rail-served businesses to the area. PSC handles major commodities such as cottonseed, cotton oil, grain, aggregates and machinery. In 2008, PSC handled more than 8,500 cars.

YSVR has been successful in developing new customers in the natural gas, crude oil and frac sand markets, while operating in the sometimes extreme weather conditions of eastern Montana. These new endeavors, combined with YSVR's long-standing relationships with agriculture industry customers, reflect the outstanding performance of YSVR and its dedicated employees.

BJRY, based in the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois, has enjoyed 12-percent volume increases year over year. Started as a single rail operation in 1985, BJRY now has six locations and recently acquired eight new customers through transloading. BJRY is proud of its 24-year streak of no lost-time injuries among its employees.

Operating on about 19,000 miles of track across the United States, nearly 200 BNSF shortline partners keep hundreds of communities and businesses connected to BNSF's main line.

BNSF Headquarters

For more information on the company and its transportation solutions, visit the BNSF Web site at www.bnsf.com