FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway plans to spend $3.8 billion on capital projects in 2025, with the vast majority for network maintenance, the company announced today (Jan. 23, 2025).
“Our 2025 capital plan reflects BNSF’s ongoing commitment to investing in our network to support our customers’ growth and operating a safe, efficient and reliable railroad,” CEO Katie Farmer said in a press release. “We are focused on ensuring our network is prepared to handle the demands of the future while continuing to provide the strong service our customers expect.”
The figure is nearly equal to the $3.92 billion the company set for capital spending a year ago [see “BNSF announces $3.9 billion …,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 24, 2024].
The 2025 plan includes $2.84 billion for maintenance, including 11,400 miles of track surfacing and/or undercutting, and replacement of 2.5 million ties and 410 miles of rail.
Another $535 million will be devoted to expansion and efficiency projects, following more than $2.6 billion spent on such projects in the previous five years. These include completion of a multi-year expansion project at the Cicero (Ill.) Intermodal facility; activities related to the planned $1.5 billion Barstow International Gateway intermodal and logistics project in Southern California; and development of a logistics facility near Phoenix. Also included is the continuing project to add 20 miles of third main near Needles, Calif., and increasing mainline siding capacity near Phoenix.
When Berkshire bought BNSF, I believe they were forced to sell a very small shortline they owned incidental to a power plant in their holdings.
Timothy Ekren: Anti-Trust Laws more than likely prevent Buffet/Berkshire Hathaway from owning more than one Class 1 Railroad at a time.
Way to go BNSF. Keep your capital items in a top condition. The vultures may be licking their chops hoping that they can stop these capital projects and instead suck the life out of BNSF.
Being privately held helps keep the vultures away. At same time, how much dividends has BNSF paid out to its owner Berkshire/Buffet? golden goose that keeps laying the golden eggs. The numbers will be huge when all said and done.
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Just wish Buffet would go all in to buy CSC or NS and go legit/head on head nationwide with the truckers, ups, fedex, prime. You name it. My legacy is a true transcontinental railway and will complete with anyone sending freight across the ground.