BNSF

STB Denies UP’s Motion to Keep Employment Data Confidential

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on March 14 announced that it has denied a motion for protective order filed by Union Pacific (UP) to keep certain required, temporary employment data reporting confidential. STB also directs UP to submit public versions of previously submitted data.

Commentary

BNSF Desperate for an Inflection

The Smokehouse Creek wildfire in Texas, which severed BNSF’s Transcon route on February 27, was the latest in a series of problems that have significantly slowed BNSF’s network and impacted service. After

BNSF Vice President of Industrial Products Ryan Dreier has been appointed to STB's Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council.
  • News

Dreier Appointed to STB’s RSTAC    

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on March 12 announced that it has appointed Ryan Dreier to its Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council (RSTAC) as a large railroad representative.

Photo by BNSF team member Bryan Echols, who helped ensure the wind blade got to its destination safely.

Class I Briefs: BNSF, CSX, NS

BNSF makes history by moving the largest wind blade ever transported by train in North America. Also, CSX brings its locomotive simulator to the World of Nations event in Jacksonville, Fla.; and Norfolk Southern’s (NS) Coastal Division Maintenance of Way & Structures (MW&S) team celebrates two years injury-free.

Commentary

BNSF Teams Celebrate Safety Records

At BNSF, safety is the most important thing we do. Several teams around our 32,500-mile rail network have been maintaining exceptional safety records over the past year or more, and we’re proud to highlight their hard work. Take a look at these top-performing teams:

“Railroads don’t get much attention when they are working but, were they unavailable, the void would be noticed immediately throughout America,” Warrant E. Buffett, Chairman/CEO of BNSF parent company Berkshire Hathaway Inc., wrote in a shareholder letter. “A century from now, BNSF will continue to be a major asset of the country and of Berkshire. You can count on that.”

BNSF Closes 2023 With Net Earnings, Volumes Down

While Warren E. Buffett, Chairman/CEO of BNSF parent company Berkshire Hathaway Inc., told shareholders in a Feb. 24 letter that he “erred” in his 2023 expectations for the Class I railroad, he was “particularly proud of both BNSF’s contribution to the country and the people who work in sub-zero outdoor jobs in North Dakota and Montana winters to keep America’s commercial arteries open.”

New White Paper Explores Partnership to Complete Northwest Rail

The Polis Administration, the Regional Transportation District (RTD) and the Front Range Passenger Rail District (FRPRD) recently released a white paper that explores the possibility of a new partnership that would enable Colorado to complete the voter-approved Northwest Rail line between Denver, Boulder and Longmont, and to build the first phase of Front Rage Passenger Rail (FRPR) by extending service to Fort Collins. This rail service would use the existing BNSF Front Range Subdivision through Boulder, Longmont, Loveland and Fort Collins (FRPR Northwest Phase 1).

J.B. Hunt to Purchase Walmart’s Intermodal Assets

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. (J.B. Hunt) announced Feb. 22 that its subsidiary, J.B. Hunt Transport Inc., has entered into a multi-year intermodal service agreement with Walmart, in an arrangement that includes J.B. Hunt’s purchase of Walmart’s intermodal assets.

(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.