BNSF: California Permit Embargo Will End in September

Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor
BNSF's limited California permit embargo will end on Sunday, Sept. 4.

BNSF's limited California permit embargo will end on Sunday, Sept. 4.

BNSF announced on Aug. 18 that it is terminating its California permit embargo on Sunday, Sept. 4.

According to the railroad, weekly number of permits continued to increase throughout the temporary embargo, and the temporary permit embargo, which does not cover intermodal shipments, enabled it to “significantly reduce backlogs and drive greater efficiencies for trains moving both towards and in California, and throughout BNSF’s network, as anticipated.”

This embargo was one of several actions to improve network fluidity in Southern California, BNSF reported. As a result, the Class I says it has seen decreased congestion and increased velocity as network conditions are improving. BNSF says it will continue working collaboratively with individual customers, as necessary, to manage traffic flows so that it can “build on the positive momentum gained during the embargo.”

In June, Railway Age reported that the limited embargo, which was created as a response to “significant ongoing challenges” and impacted automotive shipments, as well as specific agricultural and industrial commodities being shipped to destinations in California from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, would go into effect on June 27 and expire on July 31. However, on July 26, BNSF announced that the embargo would continue into August to continue improving congestion.

BNSF says customers can refer to its online form to submit permit requests for the final week [of the embargo], view the current list of commodities exempted from the embargo, and obtain additional information.

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