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:
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.”
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 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.
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.
BNSF “crushed it” in 2023, moving record loads of aggregates, and donates $2 million to the National Juneteenth Museum in Texas. Also, Union Pacific (UP) Executive Vice President Marketing and Sales Kenny Rocker provides a status report on the railroad, which recently announced it will serve Midwest Refrigerated Services in Illinois.
BNSF recognizes work teams with Safety Bells. Also, Union Pacific (UP) teams up with Operation Lifesaver Inc. (OLI) and the Victoria Police Department for a Railroad Investigation and Safety Course.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) recently announced that a contract ratification vote is under way for tentative agreements with Utah Railway and Missouri & Northern Arkansas Railroad (M&NA), as well as Berkshire & Eastern Railroad (B&E), for which the union has reached a tentative contract with.
Sanimax USA LLC and Union Pacific (UP) on Feb. 12 told the Surface Transportation Board (STB) they have settled their dispute and jointly requested that Sanimax’s common carrier complaint be dismissed with prejudice and the proceeding be dropped. STB on Feb. 15 approved.
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