WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board will hold a hearing next month to consider a Powder River Basin coal producer’s request for an emergency service order that would require BNSF Railway to handle more volume from the Spring Creek Mine in Montana.
The board will hold oral arguments on May 10 where Navajo Transitional Energy Co. and BNSF will plead their cases.
NTEC, in an April 14 complaint, says BNSF has failed to provide adequate service from the Spring Creek Mine to the Westshore Terminals at Roberts Bank in Delta, British Columbia, Canada. The mining company alleges that BNSF violated its common carrier obligations by failing to provide adequate service.
The coal company, in a separate filing, also seeks an emergency service order from the STB that would require BNSF to handle 29 loaded trains per month beginning May 1.
BNSF handled 17 NTEC trains in February and 22 in March, which NTEC says was below the 24 to 30 trains per month that the coal company sought as part of a Nov. 1, 2022, service request. The coal is exported to customers in Japan and South Korea.
BNSF has urged federal regulators to reject NTEC’s request for an emergency service order, arguing that its desire to take advantage of the hot export coal market does not constitute an emergency.
BNSF told the STB it’s still experiencing capacity constraints in the Pacific Northwest. Ordering BNSF to increase service to Spring Creek mine would require the railroad to reduce service to other Powder River Basin customers, the railway told the board.
“…desire to take advantage of the hot export coal market does not constitute an emergency.” It is if you are in the coal business.
I am not sure what UP has to do with this particular news item. I am sure if there was money to be made BNSF would find a way.
I’m sure the environmentalists in Washington State will no doubt love the thought of more BNSF coal trains passing through here enroute to Roberts Bank, BC, Canada …..
Have to wonder if the other RRs are whispering into BNSF’s ear saying “” Fix this fast or you are going to get all more Congressional critter action. We will loose our monopoly positions fast “” Warren might be getting these whispers for him to pass on ??
In BNSF defense Powder River Coal market was primarily to the East. The Coal export market on the West Coast was non-existent other than British Columbia mines exporting out of Vancouver. What the costumer is asking for is special routing to Vancouver and privileges where the current track capacity and manpower does not exist.
Um…NO. Montana and export coal has been moving to Roberts Bank for decades. Twenty-nine trains per month is only 348 per year and in the past, this mine had routinely shipped over 400 trains annually.
Maybe the rate for NTEC trains is too low? More money solves lots of problems.
Thank you BNSF for showing us what is wrong with railroading today. You have a customer requesting more service and you seem hesitant to provide it. How many locomotives and unit hopper cars do you have sitting in sidings collecting rust? How many train crew members are furloughed at this moment. On a week where the CSX, NS and the UP (a railroad many of our readers seem to hate) announced that they are going to step back from Wall St and start looking to providing more service to customers, you seem to be doing the opposite. Yes I know you don’t answer to Wall St, but lets get on board with your competitors and deliver service where it is requested by a customer.
Everybody always hates Number 1, especially the UP with its long and storied history. And it always easy to point out weakness when one of the majors falls on its sword which has happened to them all recently. But the facts are that UP is the largest franchise in North American Railroading and now that they have seen the light and are getting rid of that mental midget Lance Fritz, they can get back to basics and resume the crown it has held for 150 years as the only non merged class 1 in the US.
Lets set the record straight, even a fan can criticize the favorite team when necessary. No one (here) “hates” the UP, they are drawing criticism for their poor track record and decision making in several areas.
When fans criticize, that means they expect more from the favorite than what they are seeing. There is nothing wrong with that in anyones book.
It seems that here we have a railroad that is arguing against making more money. They don’t want to provide additional service. How could they be “experiencing capacity constraints?” Isn’t the overall volume of Powder River coal down significantly from a few years ago? Why can’t they fulfill this request? Is it crew issues?