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Yesterday, BNSF Railway Co. and Swift Intermodal Ltd. announced they reached an agreement under which the Swift Transportation Co. Inc. subsidiary will acquire 3,800 53-foot containers currently leased by the Class I.

The containers are managed under the North American Container System (NACS) program, which promotes the free interchange of 48- and 53-foot domestic containers among member railroads without restrictions. BNSF plans to allow the remaining containers still in service under NACS through Dec. 31, 2006, to be freely interchanged.

“This acquisition allows Swift to enhance its intermodal offerings to both our retail and wholesale customer base,” said Swift Intermodal President Dan Beers in a prepared statement.

The deal will enable the railroad to improve the fluidity of its intermodal operations, said BNSF Vice President of Domestic Intermodal John Hickerson.