BNSF and UP will meet regulators on July 15 to resolve a dispute over intermodal trains bound for Salt Lake City using shared trackage rights. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) scheduled a closed conference to clarify BNSF and UP positions regarding the new international intermodal service.

BNSF Railway signed a tentative five-year labor agreement with the TCU intermodal division, securing enhanced wages, healthcare, and vacation benefits for 791 employees under a clear and structured framework

Board staff asked each railroad to send legal counsel and operational experts to discuss train volumes, staffing, and route specifics in detail.

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BNSF requested emergency approval to begin service connecting Los Angeles and Long Beach ports to a terminal on Salt Lake Garfield & Western.

Ocean carriers like CMA CGM and MSC back the new route, pushing for service to begin July 7 when the intermodal terminal opened.

BNSF and UP Clash Over Route and Cost Sharing Terms

Union Pacific does not oppose BNSF’s request but claims it needs time to hire and train new crews for the Roseville–Salt Lake route.

However, UP insists on routing trains over Donner Pass instead of BNSF’s preferred Feather River Canyon corridor.

This route would trigger a clause requiring BNSF to pay half of UP’s $70 million clearance upgrade from 2009. UP wants the payment before operations start.

BNSF disputes that the agreement applies, stating the clause covers only domestic hi-cube stacks, not international containers.

BNSF and UP Seek Regulatory Clarity Amid Growing Pressure

BNSF accused UP of delaying the project due to competitive losses, as it won intermodal contracts previously held by UP.

Support for BNSF’s plan came from Salt Lake Garfield & Western and the Utah Inland Port Authority, both urging fast regulatory action.

While intermodal traffic isn’t regulated directly, the STB can intervene because of merger conditions from UP’s 1996 acquisition of Southern Pacific.

Source: www.trains.com

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