BNSF Railway, Boys & Girls Club of Spokane County partner for Build-A-Bike event

BNSF Railway has been longtime supporters of Boys & Girls Clubs throughout the Pacific Northwest and across its system. On Wednesday, June 20th, Spokane-area BNSF employees donated 25 bicycles to the Boys & Girls Club (BGC) of Spokane County. More than just bicycles, though—BNSF employees also worked with BGC kids to help them assemble the bikes themselves.

This BNSF “Build-A-Bike” event was the brainchild of BNSF employees Chad Lawrence and Richard “Rocky” Scott.

Bicycle donations were sponsored by the Operations, Engineering, Signal, Mechanical, Marketing, Claims, BNSF Police, and Telecomms divisions. All told, 25 Huffy bicycles in 20” (sized for children ages 9-13) were delivered to the gymnasium at the Lisa Stiles-Gyllenhammer clubhouse in Mead to be assembled by BNSF personnel and BGC member children. After a standard BNSF safety briefing, BGC children were brought in and each child was teamed with a BNSF employee and a bicycle. BNSF’s Rocky Scott served as the point person for questions about correct bicycle assembly, and under his watchful eye, all the bikes were assembled and tuned to proper working tolerances. These bicycles will remain at the club location in northern Spokane County so they may be shared and used by the more than750 BGC member children who utilize that location.

After the bikes were assembled, children were fitted with helmets, with BNSF’s Rhonda Roberts quizzing the kids on proper helmet fit and harness adjustment. They were then allowed to walk the bicycles out to the outdoor running track and ride laps around it. BGC personnel also distributed ice cream sandwiches to the happy kids.

BNSF helps customers reduce carbon emissions

BNSF customers significantly decrease their carbon footprint by converting their shipments from trucks to trains. A single double-stack intermodal train removes several hundred long-haul freight trucks from the highway. In fact, no other form of land freight transportation is by its very nature more fuel- and resource-efficient than rail. Rail also provides tremendous benefits by reducing our country’s overall transportation emissions and carbon footprint. In 2017, shipping with BNSF enabled our customers to reduce their total carbon emissions by 37.5 million metric tons. To learn more about the environmental benefits of shipping by rail, click HERE.

Did you know? BNSF provides opportunities for veterans

BNSF employs more than 7,300 military veterans (approximately 18 percent of our workforce). In 2017, approximately 8 percent of all newly hired employees were men and women who have served our country in the armed forces. BNSF supports reservists as well, enabling time off for training and deployment.

Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles gives BNSF valuable insight

 
BNSF continues to break ground in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – or drones – in the rail industry. We are becoming more involved in edge machine processing through which algorithms process data collected via drones in the field and then transfer it back to headquarters. In addition, camera systems installed on UAVs are helping to assess the condition of various assets such as our concrete ties, rail and right-of-way. UAVs also help BNSF prepare for and respond to adverse weather events. During Hurricane Harvey, for instance, UAVs were able to provide critical information on network conditions in places that would have been unreachable or unsafe to send out BNSF crews.

Tablets in the field enhance accuracy and safety

  
In 2017, BNSF began deployment of mobile tablets to employees in the field to help speed up tasks, enhance information accuracy and improve safety. The tablets allow train crew team members to complete key tasks and provide more convenient access to the applications and information they need. Track inspectors are also using tablets to obtain exact maps of assets and to perform scheduled inspections. BNSF issued nearly 3,000 tablets in 2017, and plans to continue distributing them to thousands of field employees going forward.

BNSF is supporting local communities

• $10,000 donation to the Seattle Parks Foundation to help with Duwamish Waterway Park.
• $5,000 donation to the Spokane Public Library Foundation for its 24/7 Remote Access Library program.
• $3,500 donation to the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho St Vincent De Paul Savage Bureau for its Life and Social Skills Programming Support program.

Emergencies – Call 800-832-5452

To report a vehicle stalled on a crossing, suspicious circumstances, malfunctioning crossing gates and lights, or any other emergency, call 800-832-5452 immediately.