BNSF Reminds Eclipse Viewers to Remain Safe by Staying Away from Railroad Tracks

A total solar eclipse will occur Monday, Aug. 21, across the U.S. in many communities where BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) operates. BNSF will continue normal operations throughout the day and during the eclipse, and reminds community members to stay safe and away from railroad tracks. Because nothing is more important to BNSF than operating safely,

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Keep Washington Competitive Opposed to Spokane Ballot Measure

Keep Washington Competitive, a coalition of representatives from trade organizations, wrote an open letter explaining why they are opposed to a ballot measure that the Spokane City Council just approved for the fall election. Below are portions of that letter and we encourage you to read the full article linked below: Contrary to federal law

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BNSF Helping Farmers and Families

BNSF employees are dedicated to the success of our agricultural customers. Katie Hofmann, market manager, Feed and Grain, grew up on a ranch in southeast Montana where her family raised cattle and grew wheat, oats and barley. “I have family as well as friends that are still in the industry,” says Hofmann, “and so for me,

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BNSF Railway Foundation supports the Boys and Girls Club and High Desert Museum

The BNSF Railway Foundation donated to the High Desert Museum to support their Frontier Days program. This program provides cultural experiences to underserved youth in Oregon. For five days in April, Frontier Days engaged 1,280 fourth grade students in life on the Oregon Trail and 19th century Oregon, increasing their understanding of the history of the

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BNSF Sustainability Recognition

BNSF is proud to be featured in Inbound Logistics Magazine’s annual G75 list. This list is made up of the top 75 logistics companies that go above and beyond in sustainability efforts. Among BNSFs many green achievements, Inbound Logistics Magazine called out BNSFs efforts in: CURRENT GREEN INITIATIVES Reduce greenhouse gas emissions Use alternative fuel/energy sources

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BNSF Engineering Completes 7-year ARRA Program in Washington State

BNSF recently put the final spike in a 7-year program that included 14 complex projects in Washington. These projects, mainly funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), focused on enhancing passenger rail service and ensuring a consistent level of freight operations through the region. With a budget of nearly $480 million in federal funds, BNSF

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Inspecting Our Network and Equipment

BNSF regularly and rigorously inspects our network and equipment to ensure we continue to run a safe, reliable railroad. Our efforts include routine visual inspections by more than 650 trained and experienced track inspectors who patrol miles of track. BNSF also uses special rail cars equipped with ultrasonic detection and other technologies to look for

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Firefighting Train is Ready for the Season

BNSF’s large fleet of firefighting rail equipment is deployed throughout the Pacific Northwest and is on call to support local, state and federal government fire suppression teams. The specially designed and built units quickly move tanks holding thousands of gallons of water to wild fires in remote locations. Water cannons mounted on the trains can reach 300

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BNSF Receives Recognition for Environmental Stewardship

Praising our “efforts benefiting fish, water quality, habitat and habitat connectivity,” the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) gave BNSF its 2016 WSDOT Environmental Excellence Award. The Otter Creek Restoration Project in Lewis County, Washington, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, was part of BNSF’s new track construction near Kalama, Washington. BNSF worked

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BNSF Deploying New Technologies Designed to Reduce Emissions

BNSF is deploying new technologies designed to reduce emissions, which include: Idle control: Idle-control mechanisms reduce air emissions and fuel consumption by automatically shutting down locomotives that aren’t being used.  About 90 percent of our more than 8,000 locomotives have idle-control technology, and all new locomotives we purchase are equipped with this technology. We continue to

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BNSF Railway Foundation in the Community

Pictured at right: Courtney Wallace, BNSF Regional Director of Public Affairs, and Seth Muir, Salish Sea Expeditions Executive Director, on the bridge of Elettra III in Ballard, which is used for hands-on teaching of marine science and technology.  The BNSF Railway Foundation is a proud sponsor of the program, which has provided learning experiences to

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A Message from Carl Ice, CEO of BNSF Railway

As we move forward in 2017, we must remain strong, resilient and agile while driving continued improvements in safety, service, efficiency and reliability for our customers.  Safety will always be the most important thing we do, and we will not be successful until we achieve our safety vision.  Change is constant and the pace of

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BNSF Begins Major Bridge Replacement Project in Southwest Washington

BNSF recently completed the first of two phases to replace the Camas Bridge in southwest Washington. “The team replaced the bridge’s 100-year-old truss with a new concrete approach span and 1.3 million pound truss,” said Mike Herzog, director of bridge construction.   The Camas Bridge spans the Washougal River on BNSF’s Fallbridge Subdivision in southwest Washington. Approximately 15

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Oregon and BNSF honor Bend, Oregon WWII Hero

The Oregon Legislature recently honored Bend resident Bob Maxwell who at 96-year-old is the oldest living recipient of the Medal of Honor and the only recipient living in Oregon. Separately, as a way to say thank you for his service, BNSF also honored Maxwell and the Bend Heroes Foundation during a special train ride aboard

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BNSF Adds Double Track in North Idaho

Starting this summer, BNSF will be adding 10 miles of double track in North Idaho. The second set of tracks will help ease congestion between Athol and Rathdrum.  Double track increases the network’s capacity by giving train dispatchers more options when directing traffic and by allowing planned maintenance to happen on one track while the

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