Railroad News

BNSF Railway Co. yesterday unveiled its 2019 capital expenditure plans for California, New Mexico and Texas.

In Texas, the Class I will spend $405 million for expansion work that will include a new double track to be constructed between the Alliance Intermodal Facility in Fort Worth and Cleburne, as well as two new sidings in the Madill Subdivision north of Dallas.

BNSF Railway Co. will spend $3.57 billion on capital expenditures this year, up from $3.4 billion in 2018, the Class I announced yesterday.

This year's plan will continue to emphasize maintenance and expansion of the network "with an unwavering focus on operating a safe railroad that meets customers' demands," BNSF officials said in a press release.

The U.S. Coast Guard has released a draft environmental assessment (EA) of BNSF Railway Co.'s proposed construction of railroad bridges across Lake Pend Oreille and Sand Creek at Sandpoint in Bonner County, Idaho.

BNSF proposes constructing a second mainline track and associated bridges parallel to existing rail bridges that cross the lake and creek. As structures over U.S. navigable waters, the proposed bridges will require a Coast Guard bridge permit.

BNSF Railway Co. announced yesterday that plant construction and upgrade investments made by its customers in 2018 totaled nearly $3 billion.

Last year marked the eighth consecutive year that BNSF customers and local economic development organizations have invested more than $1 billion in a calendar year for new or expanded facilities, according to a BNSF press release.

BNSF Railway Co. has awarded its "Certified Sites" designation to two new industrial locations in Galesburg, Illinois, and Clovis, New Mexico.

The program identifies optimal rail-served sites for customer development along the Class I's network. To be considered for the designation, sites must undergo a thorough analysis that includes an evaluation of environmental and geotechnical standards, available utilities and site availability.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Managing Editor

BNSF Railway Co. is moving strong volumes throughout its network during the late portion of the peak season, according to a customer letter issued by the Class I Dec. 21.

Volume in the week ending Dec. 15 increased slightly over the prior week and represented a new year-to-date high at nearly 216,500 units, BNSF officials wrote in the letter. Year-to-date volume through that week totaling 10.3 million carloads and intermodal units exceeded the full-year volume in each of the past 11 years, they said.

The City Council of Willmar, Minnesota, this week unanimously approved master agreements for the Willmar Wye rail project.

The project is a public-private partnership between BNSF Railway Co., the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), Kandiyohi County and the city of Willmar to build a new rail line bypass on the city's west side.

American Honda Motor Co. recently honored BNSF Railway Co. with the auto manufacturer's Premier Partner Award for excellence in transportation.

The Class I was among 15 of Honda's suppliers to receive the award. BNSF was recognized for "efficient and reliable railway transport of finished vehicles," according to a BNSF press release.

BNSF Railway Co.'s 2018 capital expenditure program will include $90 million for maintenance projects in Minnesota.

The largest component of this year's capital plan in the state will be replacing and upgrading rail, ties and ballast, the Class I announced in a press release.

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) yesterday marked the completion of seven grade separation projects along a BNSF Railway Co. line running through Fullerton, Anaheim and Placentia, California.

The $663 million effort involved building vehicular bridges and underpasses to separate motorists and pedestrians from the rail line, which is used by at least 70 trains daily.

BNSF Railway Co.'s net income fell 20 percent to $772 million and total revenue declined 15 percent to $4.6 billion in the second quarter compared with year-ago results, according to Berkshire Hathaway, the Class I's parent company.

BNSF's operating income in the quarter dropped 16 percent to nearly $1.5 billion, while operating expenses declined 14 percent to about $3 billion compared with second-quarter 2015 results.

BNSF Railway Co. is appealing a judge's ruling against the Class I's proposal to build the Southern California International Gateway (SCIG) rail yard near the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

In March, a California judge determined that an environmental review of the SCIG was insufficient, and ordered the city of Los Angeles and the Board of Harbor Commissioners to set aside their approvals of the project.

Two BNSF Railway Co. trains collided head-on in Panhandle, Texas, last month after one of the trains missed a stop signal, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced yesterday in a preliminary report.

Three crew members died when the eastbound and westbound trains collided at 8:21 a.m. June 28 in BNSF's Panhandle Subdivision. The collision caused the derailment of the locomotives and several cars from both trains, and resulted in a significant fire.

The remains of two BNSF Railway Co. crew members involved in a train collision on Tuesday have been recovered, the railroad announced yesterday.

A third crew member is still unaccounted for, while a fourth crew member is in "stable" condition at a local hospital, BNSF officials said in a post on the company's website.

Two BNSF Railway Co. trains were traveling on the same track when they collided head-on yesterday morning near Panhandle, Texas.

Three crew members are missing, and one crew member was injured after he jumped from the train before the collision, according to local news reports. Each train had a conductor and an engineer on board.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Managing Editor

Iron Horse Permian Basin LLC recently took delivery of the largest frac sand unit train in North American history by length and weight at 151 rail cars and 17,469 tons. The train arrived June 2 at the company's Delaware Basin rail terminal in Artesia, N.M.

BNSF Railway Co. eliminated 62 management jobs last week and realigned its operations organization from three regions to two as of June 1.

Two major factors drove the changes: a reduction in coal traffic as well as "significant capital investments" made to increase efficiency and safety, according to a company statement.

A Wisconsin judge has determined that state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials followed state law when they issued permits to BNSF Railway Co. to build a second track through a marsh in LaCrosse, according to a report in The LaCrosse Tribune.

In a petition filed last year, the Midwest Environmental Advocates filed a petition arguing that the DNR did not conduct a full environmental impact statement under Wisconsin law when it reviewed BNSF's application, the newspaper reported.