BNSF plans second bridge over Idaho chokepoint

One of the more challenging capacity constraints affecting BNSF’s Northern Corridor is the 4,769-foot long bridge across Lake Pend Oreille outside Sandpoint, Idaho, not far from where BNSF and Montana Rail Link (MRL) converge. BNSF is now looking into the bold concept of building a second bridge, nearly a mile long, adjacent to the existing one.

Oregon rejects coal export terminal plan

Oregon’s Department of State Lands on Monday, Aug. 18, 2014, denied a permit for construction of a coal export project on the Columbia River to bolster international coal export.

MRL is BNSF Short Line of the Year

BNSF Railway has selected Montana Rail Link, Inc. (MRL) as its 2013 Short Line of the Year “for its significant growth and continued emphasis on a strong safety record.” In addition, Bighorn Divide & Wyoming Railroad (BDW) won the Special Recognition Award. The awards were presented during the annual BNSF Short Line Conference last month in Irving, Tex.

Railway Age’s 2013 Regional Railroad of The Year: Montana Rail Link

Railway Age’s Regional Railroad of the Year, Montana Rail Link—known as “The Main Street of Montana”—is a heavy-haul operation with 650 miles of main line and 300 miles of branch lines located in Montana and Idaho.