BNSF Railway is opening an intermodal facility in Oklahoma City in partnership with Hobby Lobby, according to a Sept. 4 press release.
The 42-acre facility, which is slated to open in November, aims to simplify loaded container movements from the Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles to Hobby Lobby’s distribution network in Oklahoma City, per the release.
At its full potential, the facility could eliminate up to 40,000 truck moves annually, creating a “much more effective supply chain,” said Jon Gabriel, BNSF group vice president of consumer products, in a statement.
“Expanding into this new rail market is a great example of us listening to our customers’ needs and looking for ways to provide solutions that will spur shared growth opportunities across the region,” Gabriel added.
Eventually, farmers and other businesses in Oklahoma will have the opportunity to leverage the facility for West Coast exports, per the release.
BNSF has been making several network moves to assist shippers seeking faster, streamlined freight transport.
Earlier this year, BNSF teamed up with Norfolk Southern to launch an intermodal rail service connecting the Northwest Seaport Alliance to Chicago, shaving three days off the typical transit time. The reduced dock dwell time will help cut the shipping time from any Pacific Northwest gateway to Chicago to six days.
BNSF also debuted an expedited service between Los Angeles and Houston in July. The service is 24 hours faster than the railroad’s standard product, and 48 hours faster than the previous service offering.
