GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board have arrived at the site of Saturday’s derailment of Amtrak’s Empire Builder passenger train near Joplin, about 50 miles west of Havre. The NTSB is the lead agency in the investigation of the derailment, which occurred at about 3:55 p.m. Saturday in a remote […]
Railroad: BNSF
Amtrak confirms three fatalities in Montana derailment
HAVRE, Mont. – Amtrak confirms three deaths in the Saturday derailment of the westbound Empire Builder near Joplin, about 50 miles west of Havre. The train, which originated in Chicago on Friday, had 141 passengers and 16 crew members onboard. The train consisted of two locomotives and 10 cars, with eight of those cars derailing, […]
BNSF offers weekend container incentive for LA-Long Beach
LOS ANGELES — In an effort to help kick start the Port of Los Angeles’ and Long Beach’s recently announced Accelerate Cargo initiative to expedite freight flows from the Long Beach/Los Angeles port complexes, BNSF Railway will offer a new weekend in-gate incentive at its Los Angeles Hobart and Commerce Intermodal Facilities. Ocean carrier customers […]
Analysis: BNSF shows how Amtrak and freight can co-exist
The westbound Southwest Chief is 6 minutes late out of Albuquerque, N.M., as you roll toward the junction with BNSF Railway’s Southern Transcon at Dalies. From Roomette 14 you wonder: What will happen to the Chief’s timekeeping when we hit the Gallup Subdivision that carries 80 freights per day? The question is bigger than it […]
Big Skies & Iron Rails, Overland Edition, Part 1
Before heading westward, our hard-drivin’ rail adventurer Tom Danneman walks and talks you around his trail-rated 4×4 truck. This time out, Tom’s son is riding shotgun, so rooftop camping is also part of the off-road trackside trek! […]
Big Skies & Iron Rails, Overland Edition, Part 1
Before heading westward, our hard-drivin’ rail adventurer Tom Danneman walks and talks you around his trail-rated 4×4 truck. This time out, Tom’s son is riding shotgun, so rooftop camping is also part of the off-road trackside trek! […]
BNSF faces fines, other penalties for Washington oil-train derailment
CUSTER, Wash. — BNSF Railway could face fines or other penalties for the December 2020 derailment and fire involving a unit oil train in Custer — even if vandalism or sabotage is the cause. The Bellingham (Wash.) Herald also reports a Washington state senator is calling for hearings on the derailment, citing the danger from […]
Will railroads emerge winners from efforts to fight climate change?
CHICAGO –—Climate change provides an opportunity for railroads, even as more frequent extreme weather events take a toll on railroad operations and infrastructure and require investments in new locomotive technology, executives told a shipper conference last week. The increased emphasis on sustainability is a tremendous opportunity for rail carriers, BNSF CEO Katie Farmer told the […]
FRA report calls possible vandalism a ‘contributing factor’ in BNSF oil train derailment and fire
WASHINGTON — Vandalism is a possible factor in the derailment and fire involving a BNSF oil train in Custer, Wash., in December 2020, according to a Federal Railroad Administration accident report released Thursday. The report cites as other possible contributing factors the crew’s failure to properly inspect the train; BNSF’s failure to comply with rules […]
Washington woman convicted for shunt attack disrupting BNSF operations
SEATTLE — A 28-year-old Bellingham, Wash., woman faces up to 20 years in prison after being convicted today of violence against a railroad carrier for a November 2020 incident on a BNSF Railway line in Bellingham. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington says in a press release that Ellen Brennan Reiche […]
BNSF Railway Triple Track treat in Kansas
Trains Editor Jim Wrinn is on the road in Kansas, following BNSF Railway triple tracks and is treated with trains by the ton. Enjoy this exclusive rail fanning video, only from Trains.com! […]
BNSF Railway Triple Track treat in Kansas
Trains Editor Jim Wrinn is on the road in Kansas, following BNSF Railway triple tracks and is treated with trains by the ton. Enjoy this exclusive rail fanning video, only from Trains.com! […]