FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway’s increasing use of longer trains is the most visible element of a broader effort to boost efficiency and productivity. Since the onset of the pandemic BNSF has been combining trains, blending different types of traffic in the same trains, and operating more double-length loaded unit trains of grain and […]
FORT WORTH, Texas – BNSF Railway says it’s working to clear a backlog of traffic on its busy Southern Transcon route linking Southern California and Chicago after a series of extreme weather events and a derailment. The weather included record high temperatures around 120 degrees and high winds on the western end of the Transcon, and […]
WASHINGTON – Canadian Pacific and BNSF Railway say they have enough crews, power, and other resources to handle surging demand for rail traffic. CP and BNSF are the first two Class I railroads to respond to the Surface Transportation Board’s request for updates about their ability to meet demand. Citing rail service problems, STB Chairman Martin […]
SEATTLE, Wash. — A union official told a BNSF Railway hearing that sabotage was responsible for a fiery derailment of a crude-oil train last December in Custer, Wash., a Seattle public radio station is reporting. National Public Radio affiliate KUOW reports Korey McDaniel, part of the safety team with the International Association of Sheet Metal, […]
BNSF asks to use eminent domain to complete land acquisition for Denver-area intermodal terminal BNSF Railway is asking officials in Colorado’s Weld County for eminent-domain authority to obtain land for a new intermodal facility. BizWest reports the railroad has submitted 10 requests at Weld County District Court in Greeley to acquire land to build a […]
Trains Senior Editor David Lassen spends much of his free time in the Chicago area. This is the first in a series of Trains.com articles on his favorite rail photography locations. UPDATED Dec. 15, 2021, with removal of shoofly. BNSF Railway’s celebrated “racetrack” — the triple-track mainline of the Chicago Division between downtown Chicago and […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway is reporting track washouts in several locations and other service disruptions because of severe weather and flash flooding throughout the Southern Plains portion of its network. The Longview Subdivision in Texas and Cherokee Subdivision between Tulsa, Okla., and Springfield, Mo., are currently affected. Service is expected to be restored […]
WASHINGTON — BNSF Railway and Union Pacific are locked in a dispute over BNSF haulage rights traffic that moves over UP rails along the Texas Gulf Coast. As part of UP’s acquisition of Southern Pacific in 1996, BNSF gained access to customers along UP between Houston and Brownsville, Texas, which also is a gateway to […]
OMAHA, Neb. – The intermodal terminal Union Pacific is set to open in California’s Inland Empire will start small, but railroad officials call it a game changer that could lead to signficant growth. The terminal planned for West Colton yard will have capacity for just 45,000 lifts annually when it opens in a month or […]
NTSB indicates safety at industrial facilities will be part of investigation of BNSF fatality The National Transportation Safety Board has indicated it will look into safety factors for rail workers at industrial facilities, as well as investigating the cause, after issuing its preliminary report into the fatality of a BNSF Railway crew member at a […]
OMAHA, Neb. — BNSF Railway corporate parent Berkshire Hathaway is closely watching the battle for Kansas City Southern. Canadian Pacific and Canadian National have dueling bids in place for the smallest Class I railroad, with an eye toward creating the first system to link Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. “Either of those companies acquiring Kansas […]
OMAHA, Neb. — BNSF Railway’s first-quarter, pre-tax profit rose due to a surge in intermodal volume, as retailers sought to keep shelves and warehouses full and consumers’ online purchases boosted parcel shipments. BNSF’s pre-tax profit was up 4.7% to $1.7 billion, as revenue declined 0.4% to $5.2 billion. “The increase principally resulted from increased volume […]
