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Burlington Northern Santa Fe's guaranteed intermodal service has been so successful in helping the Class I grow that traffic segment for the past two years that the railroad now is offering a money-back guaranteed carload service.


Shippers can purchase guaranteed carload service at a premium rate for all commodities moving between the Pacific Northwest, and Midwest and Texas.


BNSF would refund all charges for each load that arrives after an agreed-upon transit time, based on the interval between a customer releasing a car and the railroad spotting it at the customer's dock.


"BNSF's on-time intermodal guarantee has given new customers the confidence to try rail intermodal shipping," said Dave Garin, BNSF group vice president, industrial products marketing, in a prepared statement. "Given this success, and the fact that we've continued to meet goals for system-wide on-time performance, we simply felt it was time to offer customers a risk-free transportation alternative for carload rail service."


In May 2000, BNSF launched guaranteed intermodal service, which is running 98 percent on time. BNSF also offers a guaranteed equipment program, which enables customers to secure their supply and placement of different rail cars, including centerbeam, box, refrigerated box, gondola and bulkhead flat.


In December, BNSF plans to expand the guaranteed carload service to freight moving between the Pacific Northwest, and northern California, southern California and Arizona.


The railroad also is developing a guaranteed carload service that would include North American short-line and interline partners.