Author: BNSF Railway Corporate Communications

(Photograph Courtesy of BNSF)
Commentary

100 Years and Counting, Topeka Santa Fe Band Plays on

At least weekly if not more, Dave Anderson makes the 130-mile drive from Newton, Kans., to Topeka, Kans., and back—all for the love of music and tradition. As director of the Topeka Santa Fe Band, he’s dedicated to making sure the band plays on, especially because 2024 marks its 100th anniversary.

(Photograph Courtesy of BNSF)
Commentary
  • News

Legend and Legacy: 175 Years of BNSF and Counting

It was 175 years ago today, Feb. 12, 1849, that the Illinois General Assembly chartered the Aurora Branch Railroad, a six-mile-long track between Batavia, Ill., and West Chicago. Chugging along with borrowed

Commentary

Growth Is Good: BNSF’s Enduring Commitment to Our Customers

As another year begins, BNSF Railway continues to grow. In 2023, we devoted over $700 million to expansion and efficiency projects. From completing a six-mile segment of double track in south-central Kansas along our Southern Transcon route and beginning a multi-year expansion project at our intermodal facility in Stockton, California, BNSF is committed to growth.

Commentary

Good Saves by Team BNSF Provide ‘Peak’ Holiday Performance

Long before holiday wish lists are made, BNSF and our parcel customers are priming for peak season. That’s the busy shipping season, which starts the day after Thanksgiving and goes through Christmas Eve. Volume typically doubles during this timeframe from what we normally see—and that volume must be delivered on time with tight schedules.

Cari Elstad at work at our headquarters in Fort Worth.
Commentary

Cari-ing on a Railroad Family Tradition

As a technical manager on BNSF’s Technology Services team, Cari Elstad understands the progression of railroad technology. That rich knowledge is partly due to her role at the railroad, and it might also be because Elstad comes from a long line of railroaders who have shared stories from working more than a century on the rails.

Commentary

BNSF Welcomes Montana Rail Link

Railroading is a team effort, and since 1987, BNSF and Montana Rail Link (MRL) have been operating in collaboration across the Big Sky state and portions of Idaho and Washington. During the time that MRL leased and operated mainline tracks between Huntley, Montana, and Sandpoint, Idaho, our teams worked shoulder to shoulder to ensure strong outcomes for customers, employees and communities alike.

(BNSF Photograph)
Commentary

Locomotive Winterization: Avoiding Ice, Ice, Baby

Winter weather calls for a time to “stop, collaborate and listen”–as in “Ice Ice Baby” lyrics by rapper Vanilla Ice. This mindset is the same at BNSF. Colder temperatures have arrived across much of our network, and to maintain safe, efficient service throughout the season, our mechanical teams complete a special locomotive maintenance process known as winterization, which this year includes testing heat tape.

Bob Bainter, Manager of Operations and Safety Training, BNSF (Photograph Courtesy of BNSF)
Commentary

Umpire Finds Railroading Career Is Home Base

Bob Bainter is something of a rules guy. On the job with BNSF, he’s a manager of Operations and Safety Training based out of Cicero, Ill. He’s responsible for ensuring that Transportation employees—train crews, switch crews and others who handle trains and railcars—follow operating procedures for their and their coworkers’ safety.