advertisement

---

On Sept. 27, BNSF Logistics L.L.C. and Autolog Corp. will begin offering a Car-Rail service between two Midwestern cities and Phoenix. The automobile-moving service targets "snowbirds" — people who spend winters in warm southern climates and summers in northern cities — and those relocating to the Phoenix area.

The rail/truck service — which BNSF Logistics and Autolog launched earlier this year — will use Burlington Northern Santa Fe's autoveyor equipment fleet to move automobiles from Chicago (Elwood, Ill.) and Minneapolis/St. Paul to Phoenix. Autolog's Car-Rail division will manage the service and coordinate moves through BNSF Logistics' CarsOnTrack program.

"The CarsOnTrack operation will provide sufficient fully enclosed auto haulers to protect the vehicles from damage," said Robert Sutton, BNSF Logistics' director of operations, in a prepared statement. "The average transit time for vehicles utilizing the Car-Rail service from Chicago to Phoenix, for example, is 10 to 12 days versus 14 to 21 days for an independent car hauling company."

BNSF Logistics and Autolog plan to charge $495 to move a standard-sized vehicle.