Welcome to the Sierra Northern Railway website!   Sierra Northern Railway was formed in August 2003 through the merger of two Northern California shortline railroads: the Sierra Railroad Company and the Yolo Shortline Railroad.  Sierra Northern currently operates approximately 105 miles of track in northern California, through the heart of a number of California's prime industrial areas, serving a wide variety of customers, and interchanging with both the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad.  Sierra Northern’s employees strive to help its customers with all their railroad transportation needs. For information about our railroad construction division, please click the Midland Rail link in the menu at left.

Sierra Northern’s management is experienced in the safe and efficient operation of regional railroads and has a proven track record of increasing traffic through improved service and innovative marketing.   Sierra Northern maintains effective working relationships with its connecting railroads to assure that its customers will receive the best possible service and the most efficient and seamless transportation of their goods.   We use the latest in electronic data exchange via Railcar Management Inc (RMI) software and offer our customers a wide range of options for receiving information from our records.   All carload information is shared electronically with our connecting Class I partners for smooth operations from origin to destination.  Sierra Northern’s customer service center is at West Sacramento, California and provides support—including shipping information, car tracing, and demurrage records—between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Carrier Connections and Market Access   Sierra Northern Railway's alpha code (reporting mark) is SERA.  We have direct connections with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) and the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) at the following locations:   Interchange Location Connecting Carriers Rule 260 Junction Watsonville Junction, CA  UP WSVJC West Sacramento, CA  BNSF and UP WSCRM Oakdale, CA UP OAKDA Riverbank, CA BNSF RVRBC   From the Watsonville Junction interchange, Sierra Northern serves rail customers along a 31 mile line between Watsonville and Davenport, CA.   From the West Sacramento interchange, Sierra Northern serves rail customers along a 17 mile line between West Sacramento and Woodland, CA including the Port of Sacramento.   From the Oakdale interchange, Sierra Northern serves rail customers along a 48 mile line between Oakdale and Sonora, CA.   From the Riverbank interchange, Sierra Northern serves rail customers along a 55 mile line between Riverbank and Sonora, CA., and all rail customers located at the 170-acre Riverbank Industrial Complex.   In addition, Sierra Northern also provides switching services for the Department of Defense at the Naval Weapons Station in Concord, California.   Sierra Northern Railway maintains a close business relationship with both BNSF and UP, not only at the local level but also thru regular communications between our Customer Service department and their counterparts in the Class I carriers' National Customer Service Centers. Traffic Base, Marketing, and Industrial Sites Sierra Northern handles approximately 6,000 carloads annually.  Commodities include lumber, particle board, wallboard, wood chips, bulk gypsum, bulk limestone, bulk plastics, canned goods, tomato paste, frozen fruits/vegetables, chemicals, steel, grain and grain products, ethanol, and propane.   Sierra Northern has access to a wide variety of rail-served industrial sites and existing warehouses.  The Riverbank Industrial Complex has numerous public warehouse operations, open tracks, and building sites available.  Rail-served sites are also available in the West Sacramento and Woodland areas, and on the Oakdale line.  We work closely with developers and city/county organizations in order to attract new business and expand existing business along our lines.   Marketing inquiries concerning industrial properties and sites, contracts, pricing, and price quotes should be directed to Alan H. Lambert - VP Marketing at our West Sacramento, CA office.