Maersk has redirected about 76% of its eastbound Southern California intermodal volume away from BNSF’s Southern Transcon and onto Union Pacific’s Sunset Route, up from a roughly 90% BNSF baseline, according to RailState rail telemetry. That’s roughly 1,000 TEUs a week.
The shift lands boxes at a different Chicago terminal, which means any importer using Maersk carrier haulage out of LA/Long Beach now has the wrong pickup point in their routing guide.
What changes on the ground: The two routes terminate at different Chicago-area terminals with separate gates and operating protocols. UP’s boxes now arrive at its Global IV terminal near Joliet rather than the BNSF terminal the volume used before.
A drayage (last-leg trucking) routing guide that still lists Maersk under the BNSF terminal will misroute the container to the wrong gate. Any shipper moving carrier-haulage freight on Maersk before routing guides and dray provider instructions are updated will face pickup location mismatches.
Why now: Maersk told FreightWaves it is balancing capacity for peak season. The shift also comes as UP extended a $300 peak-season surcharge on SoCal intermodal traffic, a sign UP is leaning into the volume. It is still unclear whether the move is temporary or long term.
Rail competition: Both railroads are fighting for this volume.
BNSF is building Barstow International Gateway, a 4,500-acre hub backed by a $4 billion private investment and approved by the Barstow City Council in June 2026. The project is designed to protect Southern California volume.
UP is pursuing its proposed Norfolk Southern merger through the Surface Transportation Board, while BNSF has publicly opposed the deal. Landing Maersk strengthens UP's case at the STB, and the outcome of both the merger and Barstow will determine who controls SoCal intermodal routing.
