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BNSF Railway Co. has named the Columbus & Greenville Railway (CAGY) its Shortline of the Year. Now in its 16th year, the annual award recognizes short lines that "exceed expectations through their innovation, determination, vision and entrepreneurial spirit," BNSF officials said in a prepared statement.

Owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc., CAGY operates 163 miles of track between Columbus and Greenville, Miss. Over the past two years, the short line has more than doubled the number of carloads it handles with BNSF.

CAGY recently partnered with BNSF and the Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway to finance and construct a new crossover north of CAGY's yard in Columbus. This crossover will improve traffic flows, reduce congestion and accommodate increased volumes, BNSF officials said. In addition, CAGY funded the expansion of its yard tracks to increase carload capacity at the Columbus facility.

"CAGY has reacted quickly to new business opportunities by investing their own capital and establishing a market presence," BNSF officials said.

BNSF also presented Achievement Awards to Burlington Junction Railway and Riverport Railroad L.L.C.

The Class I recognized Burlington Junction for helping create a staging location between the Gulf Coast and Bakken Shale for empty crude-oil trains.

"Faced with an urgent situation involving the need to stage a 105-car empty crude oil train, BNSF reached out to Burlington Junction on a Thursday evening. Less than 12 hours later, BNSF and Burlington Junction had reached a written agreement for interchanging and storing these trains," BNSF officials said.

The Class I honored Riverport Railroad for its innovation in serving the energy industry's demand for crude oil from the Bakken Shale.

"Riverport Railroad made their facilities and services available to stage small shipments of tank cars and consolidate them into unit trains so they could be moved to market quickly and efficiently," BNSF officials said.