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BNSF Railway Co. is taking a different approach to boosting intermodal velocity and capacity: longer trains. Last month, BNSF operated the first of what it hopes will be a series of 10,000-foot-long intermodal trains moving across the 2,200-mile Los Angeles-to-Chicago TransCon line.

Featuring distributed power, with four locomotives in the front and two in the back, the stack train departed L.A. May 12 and arrived at Logistics Park-Chicago May 15.

TransCon intermodal trains typically are 8,000 feet long. To operate a 10,000-foot train, BNSF coordinated schedules with customers, planned sufficient power and rail-car supplies, and identified ideal fueling and inspection locations.

The railroad has implemented weekly trips with 10,000-foot trains and plans to expand the service in the coming months.