Supporting Our Communities

The BNSF Railway Foundation invests in the communities across the 28 states through which BNSF operates and where BNSF employees live, work, and volunteer. Recent donations include:   Ensuring Kids in Need Have Clothing and Hygiene Essentials Arlington Kids’ Kloset located in Arlington, WA, helps meet the clothing needs of low-income students in the Arlington, Darrington,

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Ice and Oil: BNSF Provides Hands-on Training for First Responders

Part of BNSF’s commitment to transporting freight safely involves training employees, first responders, and contractors for unlikely events that involve hazardous materials. During a recent training in Bonner County, Idaho, BNSF provided a group of 42 local first responders, and contractors with practical experience and techniques to safely respond to an incident involving oil trapped

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Leaders Count: A Conversation with Tom Williams

How is BNSF adapting to meet evolving consumer demands? What technologies is BNSF implementing to make the shipping process safer, more reliable, and cost-effective for its customers? How does BNSF rise to the challenge of supply chain congestion? Rail Talk had a conversation with Tom Williams, group vice president of Consumer Products, about what elements

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Supporting Our Communities

The BNSF Railway Foundation invests in the communities across the 28 states through which BNSF operates and where BNSF employees live, work, and volunteer. Recent donations include: Connecting Children and Parents to Essential Services Family Access Network based in Bend, OR, offers assistance, possibility, and hope to Central Oregon families in need by connecting them

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Snow Sheds: A Cool Way to Protect Tracks

Technology first created in the late 1800s continues to be the most practical solution to nature’s extremes. Snow sheds, which are structures with sloped roofs that deflect snow over the top of long sections of track, help keep snowfall from blocking major lines and protect trains from being toppled by avalanches without warning. BNSF has

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Montana Rail Link and BNSF Announce Agreement to Terminate Lease

Montana Rail Link (MRL) and BNSF-predecessor, Burlington Northern, created a unique lease arrangement in 1987 in which MRL leases and operates the mainline track between Huntley, Montana and Sandpoint, Idaho. BNSF has entered into an agreement with MRL to terminate the existing lease and resume operations and maintenance along this corridor. MRL’s vision was to become

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Supporting Our Communities

The BNSF Railway Foundation invests in the communities across the 28 states through which BNSF operates and where BNSF employees live, work and volunteer. Recent donations include: Supporting Emergency Medical Response in Skamania County The Skamania County Public Hospital District, based in Stevenson, WA, serves Skamania County residents and visitors, providing quality service across its

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BNSF Employee Spotlight: Nick Dryer

BNSF was the first railroad granted authority by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), better known as drones. From inspecting bridges and flooded tracks to mapping projects, BNSF’s UAS has grown since its initial launch in 2013 and behind the program are expert pilots like Nick Dryer. His official title is

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Supporting Our Communities

The BNSF Railway Foundation invests in the communities across the 28 states through which BNSF operates, and where BNSF employees live, work and volunteer. Recent donations include: Building Strong Communities Throughout the World and Close to Home United Way advances the common good in communities across the world. The organization’s focus is on education, income, and

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BNSF’s Hump Yards are Key to Getting Goods to Their Destinations

BNSF Railway is one of North America’s leading freight transportation companies and a critical part of the supply chain that moves goods throughout the country. In 2020, BNSF shipped 9.4 million carloads of agricultural, consumer, and industrial goods. Have you ever wondered how BNSF sorts and groups those millions of freight cars? BNSF operates eight

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2021 Gorge Rail Summit Connects Leaders and Industry Professionals

Thank you to all who attended the virtual Gorge Rail Summit on October 12! This year’s event featured a keynote address from Washington State Representative Andrew Barkis and presentations from industry experts such as Brett Porter on renewable diesel, Michael Cleveland on battery electric locomotives and yard equipment, Paul Cristina on infrastructure and public projects,

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Supporting Our Communities

The BNSF Railway Foundation invests in the communities across the 28 states through which BNSF operates, and where BNSF employees live, work and volunteer. Recent donations include: Providing grief support in southeast Washington Chaplaincy Health Care is a resource for hospice services, chaplain services and grief support in the mid-Columbia region of southeast Washington. The nonprofit

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Sandpoint Bridge Construction is Right on Schedule

The Sandpoint Junction Connector bridge project is chugging along right on – or ahead of – schedule. To meet the growing needs of the communities BNSF serves, BNSF is building a second rail bridge over Lake Pend Oreille adjacent to the existing rail bridge. BNSF is also building new bridges over Sand Creek and Bridge

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BNSF Employee Spotlight: Heath Steblay

BNSF operates a vast network of 32,500 miles of track in 28 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. Moving goods safely means keeping all of those miles of track and other rail structures like bridges in working order, even in the face of wildfires. To do this, BNSF regularly conducts extensive inspections across its network.

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BNSF’s Testing Lab Helps Railroad Choose the Right Materials for the Job

We all remember the beginning of COVID shutdowns and empty store shelves last year. Cleaning and disinfecting products were some of the hardest to find. Like most Americans, team BNSF had to change course quickly to secure an adequate supply of those elusive items. Central to BNSF’s pivot was the Technical Research & Development (TR&D)

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