BNSF Railway

The BNSF Railway Company (reporting mark BNSF) is one of the largest
BNSF Railway
freight railroad networks in North America, second to the Union Pacific
Railroad (UP) (its primary competitor for Western U.S. freight), and is one of
eleven North American Class I railroads. It has 44,000 employees, 32,500 miles
(52,300 km) of track in 28 states, and operates more than 8,000 locomotives.[1]
It has three transcontinental routes that provide rail connections between the
western and eastern United States. BNSF trains traveled over 169 million miles
(272 million km) in 2010, more than any other North American railroad.[2] The
BNSF and UP have a duopoly on all transcontinental freight rail lines in the
Western U.S. and share trackage rights over thousands of miles of track.

The BNSF Railway Company is the principal operating subsidiary of parent System map (trackage rights in purple)
company Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC. Headquartered in Fort Worth,
Texas, the railroad's parent company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire
Hathaway, Inc.[3]

According to corporate press releases, the BNSF Railway is among the top
transporters of intermodal freight in North America. It also hauls bulk cargo. For
instance, the railroad hauls enough coal to generate around ten per cent of the
BNSF 8013 at Dallas, Texas, 20 May,
electricity produced in the United States.
2014, awaiting re-crew.
The creation of BNSF started with the formation of a holding company on Reporting BNSF
September 22, 1995. This new holding company purchased the Atchison, mark
Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (often called the "Santa Fe") and Burlington Locale Midwest United States,
Northern Railroad, and formally merged the railways into the Burlington Western United States,
Northern and Santa Fe Railway on December 31, 1996. On January 24, 2005, Manitoba, British
the railroad's name was officially changed to "BNSF Railway," using the initials Columbia, Eastern
of its original name.[4] United States

In 1999, Burlington Northern Santa Fe and the Canadian National Railway Dates of September 22, 1995
announced their intention to merge and form a new corporation entitled North operation Present
American Railways to be headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Predecessor List
United States' Surface Transportation Board (STB) placed a 15-month
moratorium on all rail mergers, which ended thismerger. Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe Railway
On November 3, 2009, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway announced it Burlington Northern
would acquire the remaining 77.4 percent of BNSF it did not already own for Railroad
$100 per share in cash and stock - a deal valued at $44 billion. The company is
investing an estimated $34 billion in BNSF and acquiring $10 billion in Track gauge 4 ft 812 in (1,435 mm)
debt.[5][6][7][8][9] On February 12, 2010, shareholders of Burlington Northern Length 32,500 mi (52,300 km)
Santa Fe Corporation voted in favor of the [10]
acquisition. Headquarters Fort Worth, Texas
Website www.bnsf.com

Contents
1 History
 1.1 BN-ATSF merger
1.2 Effect of UP-SP merger
1.3 Attempted merger with CN
2 Operations
2.1 Markets and services
2.2 Finances
2.3 Trackage
2.4 Yards and facilities
2.5 Routes
2.6 Operating divisions
2.7 Passenger train service
2.8 Safety
2.9 Equipment
3 Paint schemes
4 See also
5 Notes
6 References
7 External links

History
BNSF's history dates back to 1849, when the Aurora Branch Railroad in
Illinois and the Pacific Railroad of Missouri were formed. The Aurora Branch
eventually grew into theChicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, (CB&Q), a
major component of predecessor Burlington Northern. A portion of the Pacific
Railroad became the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway(Frisco).

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) was chartered in 1859. It
built one of the first transcontinental railroads in North America, linking
Chicago and Southern California; major branches led to Texas, Denver, and
San Francisco. The Interstate Commerce Commission denied a proposed
merger with the Southern Pacific Transportation Companyin the 1980s. BNSF Dash 9-44CW #1041 leading a
manifest freight train northwest of
The Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) was created in 1970 through the Shallowater, Texas, running on former
consolidation of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, the Great ATSF railroad tracks that run parallel to
Northern Railway, the Northern Pacific Railway and the Spokane, Portland U.S. Route 84 as they cross the high
plains of the Llano Estacado. Immediately
and Seattle Railway. It absorbed the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco)
behind the locomotive are cars painted in
in 1980. Its main lines included Chicago-Seattle with branches to Texas (ex-
the old Burlington Northern livery.
Burlington) and Montgomery, Alabama (ex-Frisco), and access to the low-
sulfur coal of Wyoming's Powder River Basin.

BN-ATSF merger
On June 30, 1994, BN and ATSF announced plans to merge; they were the largest and smallest (by mileage) of the "Super Seven,"
the seven largest of the then-twelve U.S. Class I railroads. The long-rumored announcement was delayed by a disagreement over the
disposition of Santa Fe Pacific Gold Corporation, a gold mining subsidiary that ATSF agreed to sell to stockholders.[11] This
announcement began the next wave of mergers, as the "Super Seven" were merged down to four in the next five years. The Illinois
Central Railroad and Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS), two of the five "small" Class Is, announced on July 19 that the former
would buy the latter,[12] but this plan was called off on October 25. The Union Pacific Railroad (UP), another major Western system,
started a bidding war with BN for control of the SF on October 5.[13] The UP gave up on January 31, 1995, paving the way for the
[14]
BN-ATSF merger.[14] Subsequently, the UP acquired the Southern Pacific
Transportation Company (SP) in 1996, and Eastern systems CSX
Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railwaysplit Conrail in 1999.

On February 7, 1995, BN and ATSF heads Gerald Grinstein and Robert D.

Krebs both announced shareholders had approved the plan, which would save A Eastbound BNSF domestic container
overhead costs and combine BN's coal and ATSF's intermodal strengths. train, lead by BNSF Dash 9-44CW 4464
goes through Winslow, Arizona in the rain
Although the two systems complemented each other with little overlap,[15] in
on the BNSF Southern Transcon in
contrast to the Santa Fe-Southern Pacific merger, which failed because it
Northern Arizona.
would have eliminated competition in many areas of the Southwest, BN and
ATSF came to agreements with most other Class Is to keep them from
opposing the merger. UP was satisfied with a single segment of trackage rights from Abilene, Kansas to Superior, Nebraska, which
BN and ATSF had both served. KCS gained haulage rights to several Midwest locations, including Omaha, East St. Louis, and
Memphis, in exchange for BNSF getting similar access to New Orleans. SP, initially requesting far-reaching trackage rights
throughout the West,[16] soon agreed on a reduced plan, whereby SP acquired trackage rights on TSF
A for intermodal andautomotive
traffic to Chicago, and other trackage rights on ATSF in Kansas, south to Texas, and between Colorado and Texas. In exchange, SP
assigned BNSF trackage rights over the former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad between El Paso and Topeka and haulage
rights to the Mexican border at Eagle Pass, Texas.[17] Regional Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway also obtained trackage rights
over BN from Peoria to Galesburg, Illinois, a BN hub where it could interchange with SP[18] (which had rights on BN dating from
1990[19] ). The Interstate Commerce Commission(ICC) approved the BNSF merger on July 20, 1995 (with final approval on August
23), less than a month before UP announced on August 3 that it would acquire SP.[20] Parents Burlington Northern Inc. and Santa Fe
Pacific Corporation were acquired on September 22, 1995 by the new Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation. The merger of the
operating companies was held up by issues with unions;[21] ATSF merged on December 31, 1996 into BN, which was renamed the
.[22]
Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company

Effect of UP-SP merger

The Union Pacific-Southern Pacific merger further enlarged the combined BNSF network. Unlike BN and ATSF, UP and SP had
significant overlap, where competition between the two would become a monopoly. UP and BNSF announced in late September
1995 that, in exchange for BNSF not opposing the merger, it would obtain ownership of 335 miles (539 km) of line and about 3,500
miles (5,600 km) of trackage rights to reach these "two-to-one" shippers. Significant additions included rights over SP's Central
Corridor from Denver via the Moffat Tunnel and Salt Lake City, and over Donner Pass, to the San Francisco Bay Area, with an
alternate route through theFeather River Canyon along UP. The ATSF trackage in California's Central Valley was linked to BN's line
into Oregon, through trackage rights over UP between Stockton and Keddie and acquisition of UP's section of the "Inside Gateway"
to the beginning of BN trackage at Bieber. In Texas, BNSF received rights in several directions from the Houston area: west over UP
to San Antonio, with a branch to Waco, and continuing over SP to Eagle Pass (replacing the haulage rights they had just obtained);
south over UP to Brownsville; east over SP to New Orleans (including the purchase of this line east of Lake Charles); and northeast
over SP to Memphis with a branch on UP to Little Rock. Ownership of a short connection between Waxahachie and Dallas also went
from UP to BNSF. UP, in return, got a few short sections of trackage rights over BNSF, mainly connecting the SP at Chemult to the
UP at Bend, Oregon, and connecting the SP at Mojave, California with existing UP rights on ATSF at Barstow, California.[23][24] On
April 18, 1996, UP, BNSF, and the Chemical Manufacturers Association entered into an agreement giving BNSF rights over the UP
line between Houston and East St. Louis, paralleling the Houston-Memphis SP line, and allowing BNSF to participate in the UP's
plan for directional running, in which each line would serve through trains in only one direction.[25][26] The Surface Transportation
Board, successor to the ICC, approved the UP-SP merger on July 3,[27] and UP control of SP took effect on September 11, 1996.[28]
[29]
BNSF trackage rights operations began on the Central Corridor on October 10, and soon thereafter on other lines.

BNSF continued projects started by its predecessors, most notably BN's work on reopening Stampede Pass. BN had closed Stampede
Pass, the Northern Pacific Railway's main line across Washington, in 1984, in favor of the ex-Great Northern Railway's Stevens Pass.
BN never abandoned the line and began rehabilitating it in early 1996, and the route reopened in early December, relieving the
crowded Stevens Pass.[30] The ex-ATSF main line, now known as the Southern Transcon, has also seen steady work to add tracks,
[31]
giving BNSF more capacity on this major intermodal route.

Attempted merger with CN

On December 20, 1999, BNSF and the recently privatized Canadian National Railwayannounced plans (STB Finance Docket No. 33842)
to combine as subsidiaries of a new holding company, North American Railways, which would control about 50,000 miles
(80,000 km) of railroad. With CN's lines located primarily in Canada and, through subsidiary Illinois Central Railroad, on a north-
south corridor near BNSF's eastern edge, the two systems had little overlap. The combination would have benefited both companies
by expanding available cash for capacity improvements, and allowing for longer single-system movements. Shippers and the Surface
Transportation Board expressed concern and surprise about the timing, since the merger that produced BNSF had been the only one
in the 1990s that did not cause severe deterioration in service.[32] The STB imposed on March 17, 2000 a 15-month moratorium (STB
Ex Parte No. 582) on mergers involving any two Class I railroads, citing widespread opposition not only to the merger but its effects,
likely starting the final round of mergers into two big systems. BNSF and CN immediately turned to the U.S. Court of Appeals,[33]
which on July 14 ruled that the STB's right to regulate mergers allowed a moratorium, and the two railroads called off the merger.[34]
The STB released its final rules(STB Ex Parte No. 582 (Sub-No. 1)) on June 11, 2001, requiring any new application to merge two Class I
railroads, with the exception of smaller Kansas City Southern Railway, to demonstrate that competition would be preserved and
address effects of defensive moves by other carriers.[35] Since then, no Class I mergers have taken place.

On November 3, 2009, Warren Buffett said Berkshire Hathaway would buy BNSF for $44 billion. The acquisition was approved by
[36]
the boards of both companies and was approved by BNSF shareholders on February 12, 2010.

Operations

Markets and services

With BNSF's large system, it hauls many different commodities, most notably coal
and grain, as well as intermodal freight.

Predecessor Burlington Northern Railroad(BN) entered Wyoming's low-sulfur coal-

rich Powder River Basin in the 1970s through construction of the Powder River
Basin Joint Line with Union Pacific Railroad predecessor Chicago and North
Western Transportation Company. Coal goes north in unit trains on the three-to-four-
track Joint Line to Gillette or south to Orin, where older BN lines and other railroads
take it in all directions tocoal-burning power plants.[37]

BNSF serves over 1,500 grain elevators, located mostly in the Midwest on former
BN lines.[38] Depending on where the markets are, this grain may move in any
direction in unit trains, or wait in silos for demand to rise. Most commonly, grain
may move west on the Northern Transcon to the Pacific Northwest and its export
terminals, or south to ports inTexas and the Gulf of Mexico.[37]

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway's main contribution to BNSF was the
Southern Transcon, a fast intermodal corridor connecting Southern California and The BNSF 'heritage' logo found on
Chicago. Most traffic is either trailers of trucking companies such as intermodal an EMD SD70MAC. The colors of
partner J. B. Hunt, or containers from the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. The the logo represented the railroads
latter begins its trip on the triple-track Alameda Corridor, shared with the Union that are part of BNSF
Pacific Railroad, and then follows BNSF rails from downtown Los Angeles.[37] Its
route, the Southern Transcon, has been almost completely double-tracked, and triple-
tracking has begun in areas such asCajon Pass.
BNSF transports Boeing 737 fuselages from the Wichita, Kansas plant to Renton, Washington.[39]

Finances
BNSF Railway Company
Trackage Founded December 31, 1996
The BNSF Railway directly owns in Delaware[40] as
and operates track in 28 U.S. states:
Burlington Northern
and Santa Fe
Alabama, Florida, Arizona,
Railway
Arkansas, California, Colorado,
Key people Matthew Rose
Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas,
(chairman), Carl Ice
Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi,
(president and CEO)
Missouri, Montana, Nebraska,
Nevada, New Mexico, North Revenue US$19.278 billion
BNSF ES44DC 7402 leads a train of (2016)[41]
Boeing 737 fuselages at Greenwood, Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South
Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Operating US$6.637 billion
Nebraska in October 2014.
income (2016)[41]
Washington, Wisconsin, and
Wyoming. The railway also Net income US$4.260 billion
operates a small amount of track in Canada, including an approximate 30-mile (48 (2016)[41]

kilometer) section that runs from the U.S.-Canada border to Vancouver, British Total assets US$81.775 billion
Columbia, some tracks and a yard in Winnipeg, Manitoba, approximately 70 miles (2016)[41]

(110 km) of joint track with the Canadian National Railway, which runs south to the Total equity US$54.138 billion
U.S. border at Emerson, Manitoba, and less than a kilometre of trackage at the (2016)[41]
border in Northgate, Saskatchewan. Number of 41,000 (Dec 2016)[41]
employees
For administrative purposes, BNSF is divided into two regions and ten operating
Parent Burlington Northern
divisions. The North Region includes the Montana, Northwest, Twin Cities,
Santa Fe Corporation
Heartland and Powder River divisions. The South Region includes the Red River,
Website www.bnsf.com
California, Chicago, Kansas and Southwest divisions. Each division is further
divided into subdivisions, which represent segments of track ranging from 300-mile
(482 km) mainlines to 10-mile (16 km) branch-lines. The former Texas and Gulf
divisions were combined into the Red River Division, and the former Springfield
and Nebraska divisions were combined into the Heartland Division, in the spring of
2016.

Not including second, third and fourth main-line trackage, yard trackage, and siding
trackage, BNSF directly owns and operates over 24,000 miles (38,624 kilometers) of An eastbound BNSF Railway train
track. When these additional tracks are counted, the length of track which the passes some maintenance of way
railway directly controls rises to more than 50,000 miles (80,467 kilometers). equipment in Prairie du Chien,
Wisconsin, August 8, 2004. The lead
Additionally, BNSF Railway has gained trackage rights on more than 8,000 miles unit is painted in the Heritage II
(12,875 kilometers) of track throughout the United States and Canada. These rights scheme.
allow the BNSF to operate its own trains with its own crews on competing railroads'
main tracks. BNSF locomotives also occasionally show up on competitors' tracks
throughout the United States and Canada by way of leases, mileage equalizations, and other contractual arrangements.

Yards and facilities

BNSF operates various facilities all over the United States, including a yard in
Winnipeg, to support its transportation system. Facilities operated by the railway
include yards and terminals throughout its rail network, system locomotive shops to
perform locomotive service and maintenance, a centralized operations center for
train dispatching and network operations monitoring in Fort Worth, and regional BNSF 880362, a tank car passing
dispatching centers. Glen Haven, Wisconsin, shows the
new corporate logo on June 3, 2006.
BNSF Railway also operates numerous transfer facilities throughout the western
United States to facilitate the transfer of intermodal containers, trailers, and other
freight traffic. BNSF Railway has direct control over a total of 33 intermodal hubs and 23 automotive distribution facilities.

The BNSF mechanical division operates 13 locomotive maintenance facilities that perform preventive maintenance, repairs and
servicing of equipment. The largest of these facilities are located in Alliance, Nebraska and Topeka, Kansas. The mechanical division
also controls 46 additional facilities responsible for car maintenance and daily running repairs.

The BNSF system mechanical division, a subset of the mechanical division, operates two maintenance-of-way work equipment
shops, responsible for performing repairs and preventive maintenance to BNSF's track and equipment, in Brainerd, Minnesota and
Galesburg, Illinois. The system mechanical division also operates the Western Fruit Express Company's refrigerated car repair shop
in Spokane, Washington.

In 2006, BNSF teamed with Vancouver, WA-based Tri Star to run BNSF's new transload facility in Fontana, CA, near the California
Speedway.

Large freight car hump yards are located throughout the BNSF system.[42]

Barstow, California - Barstow Yard

Galesburg, Illinois - Galesburg Yard
Kansas City, Kansas - Argentine Yard
Memphis, Tennessee - Tennessee Yard
Minneapolis, Minnesota- Northtown Yard
Pasco, Washington - Pasco Yard
Seattle, Washington - Balmer Yard
Tulsa, Oklahoma - Cherokee Yard
Lincoln, Nebraska - Hobson Yard Pasco Yard

Location of major intermodal yards:

Edgerton, Kansas - Logistics Park Kansas City (LPKC)[43][44]

Joliet, Illinois - Logistics Park Chicago

Los Angeles, California- Los Angeles intermodal facility

Routes
The Northern Transcon runs from Seattle to Chicago. The route is a
combination of parts of the oldGreat Northern, the Northern Pacific, and
the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway.
The Southern Transcon runs from Los Angeles to Chicago. The 2006 A second-generation Electro-Motive
BNSF Annual Report states: "We also added about 33 miles of second Diesel (EMD) yard-switching engine
main track on our main line between Chicago and Los Angeles. All but at Hobson Yard in Lincoln, Nebraska.
51 miles [82 km] of this high-volume 2,200-mile [3,540 km] route were
double track, as of the end of 2006. Last year , we ran 100 trains per day
on this expanded main line, compared with 60 per day in 2000."
Technically, it is not double tracked in mid-Kansas where two routes are used: Mulvane toWichita to Newton to
Emporia for primarily eastbound traffic; Emporia to El Dorado to Augusta to Mulvane for primarily westbound traf
fic.
In 2008, BNSF completed nearly sixteen miles (26 km) of a third main track through Cajon Pass in Southern
California, increasing capacity on the transcontinental main route between Chicago and Los Angeles from 100 to
150 trains per day. BNSF started adding a second main track in Abo Canyon (east of Belen, New Mexico) the largest
 bottleneck on the Transcon with grading in 2008-2009, bridges in 2010 and signal work in late 2010 or early 2011.
Approximately 1.7 million cubic yards [1.23 million m] of rock need to be excavated, mostly by blasting. The 2008
BNSF Annual Report states: "Following completion of the Abo Canyon project scheduled in 2011, our 2,200mile
[3,540 km] Transcontinental Corridor between Southern California and Chicago will have only about 30 miles [48 km]
of single track."
The Powder River Basin supplies forty percent of the coal in the United States. The 2008BNSF Annual Report
states that the quadruple track project was completed.

Operating divisions
The BNSF system is divided into 13 divisions grouped into three regions. Each division includes numerous subdivisions, normally
comprising a single main line and branches.[45][46] A fourteenth division, Colorado, has been consolidated with the Powder River
Division, except for the Casper and Cody Subdivisions, which were transferred to the Montana Division.
 States and
Region Division Headquarters Subdivisions[47] Notes
provinces
San Bakersfield, Cajon, Lucerne Valley, Mojave,
California,
South California Bernardino, Needles, San Bernardino, San Diego,
Nevada, Utah
CA Stockton
Illinois, Iowa,
Aurora, Barstow, Brookfield, Chicago,
Minnesota,
South Chicago Chicago, IL Chillicothe, Marceline, Mendota, Ottumwa,
Missouri,
Peoria, St. Croix, Thomas Hill
Wisconsin
Gulf (Now
Arkansas, Bay City, Conroe, Galveston, Houston,
the Red
Central Louisiana, Spring, TX Lafayette, Lampasas, Longview, Mykawa,
River
Texas Silsbee
Division)
Colorado,
Kansas,
Missouri, Arkansas City, Douglass, Emporia, Hereford,
Kansas City,
South Kansas Nebraska, La Junta, Panhandle, Plainview, Slaton,
KS
New Mexico, Strong City, Topeka
Oklahoma,
Texas
Los Los Angeles,
South California Alameda Corridor, Harbor, San Bernardino
Angeles CA
Big Sandy, Broadview, Casper, Choteau,
Circle, Cody, Colstrip, Crosby, Dickinson,
Montana, Fairfield, Forsyth, Ft. Benton, Glasgow, Great
North Montana North Dakota, Billings, MT Falls, Grenora, Helena, Hettinger, Hi Line,
Wyoming Kootenai River, Laurel, Lewistown, Milk
River, Mobridge,[48] Niobe, Sarpy Line,
Sweet Grass, Valier
Illinois, Iowa, Bayard, Beatrice, Bellwood, Council Bluffs,
Kansas, Creston, Des Moines, Giltner, Hastings,
Central Nebraska Lincoln, NE
Missouri, Lester, Napier, Neb City, Omaha, Ottumwa,
Nebraska Ravenna, Sioux City, St. Joseph, Wymore
British
Bellingham, Burbank, Cherry Point, Coeur
Columbia,
d'Alene, Columbia River, Fallbridge,
California,
Gateway, Kettle Falls, Lakeside, Newport,
North Northwest Idaho, Seattle, WA
New Westminster, Oregon Trunk, Scenic,
Montana,
Seattle, Spokane, Stampede, Sumas, Yakima
Oregon,
Valley
Washington
Colorado,
Nebraska,
Akron, Angora, Big Horn, Black Hills, Boise
New Mexico,
City, Brush, Butte, Campbell, Canyon,
Powder Oklahoma,
Central Gillette, WY Dalhart, Dutch, Front Range, Golden, Orin,
River South
Pikes Peak, Pueblo, Reno, Sand Hills,
Dakota,
Spanish Peaks, Twin Peaks, Valley
Texas, Utah,
Wyoming
Arizona,
California, Clovis, Coronado, Defiance, El Paso, Ennis,
South Southwest Colorado, Belen, NM Gallup, Glorieta, Lee Ranch, Phoenix, Raton,
New Mexico, Seligman, Springerville
Texas
Central Springfield Alabama, Springfield, Afton, Amory, Avard, Beardstown, Pensacola, Includes
Florida, MO Birmingham, Cherokee, Cuba, Fort Scott, most of
Arkansas, Hannibal, Lead Line, River, Thayer North, the
Illinois, Iowa, Thayer South, Yates City former
Kansas, St. Louis-
Kentucky, San
Mississippi, Francisco
Missouri, Railway
 Oklahoma,
Tennessee
Texas
Kansas, BBRX, Chickasha, Creek, DFW, Ft. Worth,
(Now Red Fort Worth,
Central Oklahoma, Madill, Red River Valley, Red Rock, Sooner,
River TX
Texas Venus, Wichita Falls
Division)
Aberdeen, Allouez, Appleton, Brainerd,
Iowa, Browns Valley, Canton, Casco, Clifford Line,
Manitoba, Corson, Devils Lake, Drayton, Glasston,
Minnesota, Grand Forks, Hanley Falls, Hannah, Hib Tac,
Twin Nebraska, Minneapolis, Hillsboro, Hinckley, Hunter, Jamestown, KO,
North
Cities North Dakota, MN Lakes, Madison, Marshall, Mayville, Midway,
South Mitchell, Monticello, Moorhead, Morris,
Dakota, Noyes, P Line, Prosper, Rolla, Staples, St.
Wisconsin Paul, Warwick, Watertown, Wayzata,
Westhope, Zap Line

Passenger train service

The BNSF Railway hosts commuter trains: BNSF Railway Line for Metra
(Chicago), Metrolink (Southern California), Northstar Commuter Rail, and Sounder
(Puget Sound).

The line used by New Mexico Rail Runner Express was sold to the state of New
Mexico, but BNSF retained all freight rights on the line and operates freight trains as
needed.

Metra's cars that were originally purchased by BNSF predecessor Chicago BNSF 5696 pulling Metrolink in the
Burlington & Quincy have letterboards above the doors. In about 2011, about 15 of aftermath of the 2015 Oxnard train
the remaining cars had the original "BURLINGTON" lettering restored, while the derailment
rest now read "BNSF RAILWAY". Other Metra cars assigned to BNSF have the
current BNSF "swoosh" logo next to the door
.

Many Amtrak routes use BNSF rails: the Amtrak Cascades, California Zephyr, Carl Sandburg, Coast Starlight, Empire Builder,
Heartland Flyer, Illinois Zephyr, Lincoln Service, Pacific Surfliner, San Joaquin, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited, and Texas Eagle.

Although it does not have a steam program like the Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific, the BNSF has allowed for the Southern
Pacific 4449, SLSF 1522, Santa Fe 3751, SPS 700 and Milwaukee Road 261 steam locomotives to operate excursions over their rails.

Safety
Overall, BNSF is a safely operated railway as evidenced by receiving the E.H. Harriman Award for safety multiple times. But a
number of accidents and incidentshave occurred on the railway since its inception.

As one of the leading supporters of the Operation Lifesaver program to promote safety at railway crossings and rights-of-way, the
BNSF Railway, in 2000, established a grade-crossing closure program. This program, in which BNSF works with communities and
landowners to identify unnecessary or redundant crossings, has helped close more than 2,900 of BNSF's railway crossings throughout
the United States. Due to the program, BNSF has been the industry leader in lowering the number of grade-crossing collisions.

BNSF contracts with News Link, a small business in Lincoln, Nebraska, to publish employee newsletters focused on safety for some
of the railroad's divisions and shops. These newsletters vary in length from four to 28 pages, published ranging from monthly to
quarterly.
In 2014, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ordered BNSF to pay over $526,000 to workers who had been
terminated in 2010 and 2011 after revealing workplace injuries at the terminal in Havre, Montana, which is in contravention of
provisions of the Federal Railroad Safety Actprotecting whistleblowers.[49]

Equipment
According to the 2007BNSF Annual Report, at the end of 2007 the railway had more than 40,000 employees; 6,400 locomotives; and
85,338 freight cars.

Broken down by specific kind of car, the BNSF owned:

36,439 covered hoppers

13,690 gondolas
11,428 open hoppers
10,470 flatcars
7,948 boxcars
4,196 refrigerated "reefer" cars
427 tank cars
416 automobile carriers
324 "other" types of cars
In addition, the railway also owned:

3,253 domestic containers

11,714 domestic chassis
4,070 company service vehicles
1,200 trailers
163 commuter passenger cars

At the end of 2007, the average age (from date of manufacture) was 15 years for the BNSF's locomotive fleet and 14 years for the
freight car fleet.

On January 24, 2006, BNSF announced a $2.4 billion program of infrastructure upgrades for 2006. The upgrade program includes:
double- and triple-tracking 40 miles (64 km) of track and a second mainline track through New Mexico's Abo Canyon on the former
ATSF transcontinental line; expanding the Lincoln, Nebraska, classification yard and double- and triple-tracking 50 miles (80 km) of
track in Wyoming's Powder River Basin region; expansions at eight of the railroad's larger intermodal facilities, and extending many
sidings and expanding and improving refueling facilities. In making the announcement, BNSF chairman Matthew K. Rose cited
improvements in the company's return on invested capital, and expressed hope for continued improvement.[50] In March, 2008, the
railroad was completing the triple-tracking of Cajon Pass in California, creating four tracks through the passthree BNSF (former
Santa Fe and newly installed) and one Union Pacific (former Southern Pacific).

Paint schemes
The assortment of colors used on the BNSF Railway makes it one of the most colorful Class I railroads in North America. Most of
BNSF's high-horsepower road locomotives are painted in "Heritage" schemes - primarily based on BN predecessor Great Northern
Railway's colors of Omaha Orange and Pullman Green, with yellow striping and silver underframes. Since 2005, BNSF's
locomotives feature black instead of dark green paint, reminiscent of the original 1970 Burlington Northern scheme.

Most of BNSF's BN-ordered SD70MAC's still bear the Executive colors of Grinstein green and cream. Several ex-ATSF C44-9W's
still retain their red-and-silver "Warbonnet" colors, and a large portion of EMD and GE yard power are still in their original green
Burlington Northern or blue-and-yellow Santa Fe schemes.

Common locomotive paint schemes

 ATSF "Warbonnet" lettered "Heritage I"
for BNSF BN Executive scheme
lettered for BNSF

"Heritage II"

"Heritage III" or "Nike

Swoosh"

The first locomotive to bear BNSF lettering was BN SD70MAC No. 9647, introduced in late August 1995, just as the Interstate
Commerce Commission was approving the merger. VMV Enterprises in Paducah, Kentucky painted it in a one-of-a-kind
"commemorative" scheme, combining Santa Fe's "Warbonnet" with BN's "Executive" colors of dark "Grinstein green" and cream
(instead of SF's red and silver). "BNSF" replaced "SANTA FE" on the front of the unit, and "Burlington Northern Santa Fe" was
painted on the side.[51] Dubbed as "Premium Heritage," the paint scheme was widely rejected by the public, and was often called the
"Vomit Bonnet" and the "Barfbonnet." In the spring of 2013, this unit was sent to Relco in Albia, Iowa, to be repainted into the
current BNSF Heritage III scheme.

BN however, did not stop using its "Executive" colors on its current order of EMD SD70MACs. Experimenting with distributed
power equipment in 1995, four units (97139716) were built between June and July 1995; making these units numbered ahead of the
current production order (9617-9645). On December 28, 1995, SD70MAC 9708 emerged from the EMD London, Ontario facility as
the last unit for Burlington Northern in 1995. However, units 9709 and 9710 were completed shortly thereafter and did not appear
somewhere between January 1 and January 8. Originally believed that units 9711 and 9712 would emerge as BN 9711 and 9712 to
fill in the gap between 9710 and 9713, these units were the very first locomotives to carry a short-lived "BNSF" in Santa Fe billboard
style lettering along the carbodies, yet retaining the executive scheme without any major modifications. At that point, 9710 was now
deemed as the very last new locomotive delivered to Burlington Northern.

By January 1996, BNSF had begun painting locomotives in the old BN and ATSF schemes by adding "BNSF" on the sides.[52] Then,
in late May, the company introduced a new design on BNSD60M 9297 (then 8197 and now 1474), painted mainly in BN predecessor
Great Northern Railway's pre-1967 colors of orange and dark "Pullman green," but also incorporating red and silver, and said to
represent all major BN predecessors and Santa Fe. On the front was a new logo, placing "Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway" in

[53]
the Santa Fe cross. Some of the striping details were different on each side,[53] and employees voted for the
simpler right-side design, which, with some minor changes, became the new scheme,[54] replacing the BN
colors. However, president and CEO Robert Krebs said the railroad was big enough for two designs, and
Santa Fe's "Warbonnet" (with "BNSF" instead of "Santa Fe" on the front[55] ) remained alongside the new
"Heritage I" scheme.[56] A third "Heritage II" scheme appeared by September 1998, with "Warbonnet"-
style yellow trim and ATSF-inspired "cigar-band" logo replacing the circle-and-cross logo on the
BNSF logo
nose.[57][58] adopted in 1996

On January 24, 2005, as part of its tenth anniversary celebration, the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe
Railway was renamed BNSF Railway, which adopted a new logo.[59] By March, the logo had been applied to the sides and fronts of
six ES44DCs, which were otherwise painted in the "Heritage II" scheme, except with black replacing dark green. Slight differences
were present on the six locomotives,[60] and on April 11 BNSF officially chose the design it had applied to No. 7701.[61] The "New
Image" scheme is also referred to as "Heritage III", the "Nike Swoosh" scheme or simply the "Swoosh" scheme. Some railfans also
refer to the logo as "The Wedge" scheme.[62]

Since 2006, BNSF's locomotives designated for yard work or local trains have been painted in the "Heritage IV" scheme. Somewhat
of a simplified form of the "Heritage III" scheme, "Heritage IV" is virtually identical to the original "Heritage I" scheme, albeit with
black instead of dark green, and the current "Nike Swoosh" BNSF logo. Locomotives such as SD40-2's, GP38's, GP60M's and
SD60M's have been painted in this scheme. In October 2017 nine GE B40-8W locomotives rebuilt by GE were painted into this
scheme.

A BNSF train crosses Lake Ashtabula on the Sheyenne River west of Luverne, North Dakota. The 2,736 ft (834 m)
Sheyenne River Bridge was erected in 1912 by theGreat Northern Railway.[63] The North Country Trail, a 4,600 mi
[64]
(7,400 km) recreational trail, passes beneath the bridge.

See also
BNSF Railway Police, the law enforcement agency responsible for policing BNSF trackage and property
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Manitoba, a subsidiary of BNSF, located in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Notes
1. BNSF - Fact Sheet (http://www.bnsf.com/about-bnsf/pdf/fact_sheet.pdf)
 2. "TABLE 2-9 OPERATIONAL DATA, BY RAILROAD, 2010"(http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/publicsite/publ
ications.aspx). Railroad Safety Statistics: 2010 Annual Report
. U.S. Dept. of Transport. April 4, 2012.
3. "Financial Information"(http://www.bnsf.com/about-bnsf/financial-information/). BNSF website.
4. BNSF Railway (January 24, 2005)."BNSF Adopts New Corporate and Subsidiary Logos and Changes Name of
Railway Subsidiary as Part of Tenth Anniversary Celebration" (https://web.archive.org/web/20051129182244/http://w
ww.bnsf.com/media/news/articles/2005/01/2005_01_24a.html). Archived from the original (http://www.bnsf.com/medi
a/news/articles/2005/01/2005_01_24a.html)on November 29, 2005. Retrieved April 19, 2006.
5. Press Release (November 3, 2009),Press Release of BNSF - Berkshire Hathaway T ransaction (https://web.archive.
org/web/20091122091841/http://www.bnsf.com/investors/presentations/pdf/berkshire_pressrelease20091103.pdf) .
6. "Berkshire Bets on U.S. With a Railroad Purchase"(https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/berkshire-to-buy-rest-
of-burlington-northern-for-44-billion/). New York Times. November 3, 2009. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20
091106151104/http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/berkshire-to-buy-rest-of-burlington-northern-for-44-billi
on/) from the original on 6 November 2009. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
7. Greg Morcroft and Alistair Barr (November 3, 2009)."Berkshire Hathaway to buy Burlington Northern Santa Fe"(htt
p://www.marketwatch.com/story/berkshire-buys-burlington-northern-2009-11-03). MarketWatch. Archived (https://we
b.archive.org/web/20091104123533/http://www .marketwatch.com/story/berkshire-buys-burlington-northern-2009-11-
03) from the original on 4 November 2009. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
8. Andrew Frye (November 3, 2009)."Berkshire Buys Burlington in Buffett's Biggest Deal" (https://www.bloomberg.com/
apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=asfU7Dluabw4) . Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
9. "Warren Buffett: Buying Near the Bottom Again"(https://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2009/11/03/warren-buf fett-buyi
ng-near-the-bottom-again/tab/print/). Wall Street Journal. November 3, 2009. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/
20091109045918/https://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2009/11/03/warren-buf fett-buying-near-the-bottom-again/tab/prin
t/) from the original on 9 November 2009. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
10. "Berkshire Closes on Purchase of BNSF"(http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/1966209.html). Fort Worth
Star-Telegram. February 12, 2010. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
11. Railroad News, Trains, September 1994, pp. 14-16
12. Michael W. Blaszak, Illinois Central, KCS seek a potent union, Trains, October 1994, pp. 14-16
13. Don Phillips, UP vies for Santa Fe; IC+KCS called of
f, Trains, January 1995, pp. 20-24
14. Arrivals & Departures,Trains, April 1995, p. 18
15. Kevin P. Keefe, Will Rob Krebs win the West?, Trains, May 1995, pp. 14-15
16. Scanner, Trains, June 1995, p. 21
17. J. David Ingles, BN-Santa Fe widens its lanes,Trains, July 1995, pp. 22-23
18. News Photos, Trains, July 1996, p. 30
19. Interstate Commerce Commission, Finance Docket No. 31730 (Sub-No. 1)(http://fdsys.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-1995-
09-01/html/95-21748.htm), August 25, 1995
20. Arrivals & Departures,Trains, October 1995, p. 18
21. Scanner, Trains, June 1996, p. 23
22. Securities and Exchange Commission, Form 10-K: Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation(http://secfilings.nasda
q.com/edgar_conv_html%2f2008%2f02%2f15%2f0000934612-08-000012.html#FIS_BUSINESS) for the year ended
December 31, 2007
23. Kevin P. Keefe, Carving up the West, Trains, December 1995, pp. 16-18
24. Surface Transportation Board, Finance Docket No. 32760(http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/history/decision.pdf), August
6, 1996
25. Bill Stephens, Is Conrail a UP spoiler?,Trains, July 1996, pp. 19-22
26. Surface Transportation Board, Finance Docket No. 32760 (Sub-No. 19)(http://fdsys.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-1996-09-
13/html/96-23504.htm), September 9, 1996
27. Arrivals & Departures,Trains, September 1996, p. 20
28. Arrivals & Departures,Trains, December 1996, p. 22
29. J. David Ingles, BNSF begins service on UP merger routes,Trains, January 1997, pp. 20-21
30. Bruce Kelly, The thunder returns to Stampede Pass, Trains, November 1997, pp. 40-51
31. David Lustig, Merger or no, Santa Fe has work to do,Trains, February 1995, pp. 20-22
32. Michael W. Blaszak, CN, BNSF seek to combine; timing curious, Trains, March 2000, pp. 16-18
33. Michael W. Blaszak, STB slams on the brakes on mergers, Trains, June 2000, pp. 16-17
34. Michael W. Blaszak, Stymied: BNSF, CN won't fight on, Trains, October 2000, pp. 18-19
35. Michael W. Blaszak, Lawyers, start your engines!, Trains, September 2001, pp. 16-17
36. Ellis, David. "Buffett's firm to buy Burlington Northern,
http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/03/news/companies/buffett_burlington_northern/index.htm?postversion=2009110311
,
November 3, 2009
37. Fred W. Frailey, The Empire of BNSF, , June 2001, pp. 30-41
38. BNSF Agricultural Facilities: On-line Grain Elevator Directory(http://www.bnsf.com/markets/agricultural/elevator/),
accessed May 2009
39. Steve Wilhelm, BNSF adding rail cars to meet Boeing 737 transport demand(http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/new
s/2013/02/11/bnsf-railway-adding-cars-to-meet.html?page=all)
, Puget Sound Business Journal, Updated: Feb 11,
2013
40. Surface Transportation Board, Annual Report Financial Data(http://www.stb.dot.gov/econdata.nsf/f039526076cc0f8e
8525660b006870c9?OpenView), accessed May 2009
41. BNSF Railway Company 2016 10-K(http://www.bnsf.com/about-bnsf/financial-information/pdf/10k-railway-2016.pdf)
42. Trains Magazine (July 8, 2006)."North America's Hump Yards" (http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=537).
Retrieved June 27, 2008.
43. BNSF Railway opens Logistics Park Kansas City; The Kansas City Star; October 17, 2013.
(https://web.archive.org/
web/20131022222618/http://www.kansascity.com/2013/10/17/4559822/bnsf-railway-opens-logistics-park.html)
44. BNSF Dedicates Opening of its New Logistics Park Kansas City Intermodal Facility; BNSF; October 17, 2013.
(http://
www.bnsf.com/media/news-releases/2013/october/2013-10-17a.html)
45. About BNSF - Division Maps(http://www.bnsf.com/tools/reference/division_maps/), January 1, 2005, accessed May
2009
46. BNSF Railway Company System Map(http://www.bnsf.com/tools/reference/division_maps/div_all.pdf), January 1,
2005, accessed May 2009
47. BNSF employee timetables, 2006-2008
48. BNSF Railway Twin Cities Division, Northern Light (http://www.newslink.com/pubs/NTLT/NTLT0903.pdf) Archived (ht
tps://web.archive.org/web/20120301172634/http://www .newslink.com/pubs/NTLT/NTLT0903.pdf) 2012-03-01 at the
Wayback Machine. (employee newsletter), March 2009: "The Mobridge Subdivision from Aberdeen to Hettinger
ceded from Twin Cities Division to the Montana Division Jan. 20 to break down territory in the region, allowing for
better coverage."
49. "Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway ordered by US Department of Labor's OSHA to pay more than $526,000 to
terminated workers" (https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_i
d=26013). Occupational Health & Safety Administration, US Department of Labour
. 23 April 2014.
50. BNSF Railway (January 24, 2006),BNSF Announces $2.4 Billion Capital Commitment Program for 2006; About
$400 Million Again Slated for Track/Facilities Expansion (http://www.bnsf.com/media/news/articles/2006/01/2006-01-
24a.html). Retrieved January 30, 2006.
51. Kevin P. Keefe and Steve Glischinski, Meanwhile, back in Fort W
orth..., Trains, November 1995, pp. 18-18A
52. Burlington Northern Santa Fe: A gradual change of image,Trains, April 1996, p. 17
53. Steve Glischinski, It's 'all in the family' with the latest BNSF locomotive paint scheme,
Trains, August 1996, pp. 16-17
54. News Photos, Trains, October 1996, p. 28
55. Railroad News, Trains, October 1997, pp. 30-31
56. Michael W. Blaszak, BNSF strives for an effective blend, Trains, April 1997, p. 43
57. BNSF dips into the paint bucket again,Trains, November 1997, p. 20
58. Power Desk, Trains, February 1998, p. 20
59. BNSF Adopts New Corporate and Subsidiary Logos and Changes Name of Railway Subsidiary as Part ofenth T
Anniversary Celebration(http://www.bnsf.com/media/news/articles/2005/01/2005_01_24a.html)Archived (https://we
b.archive.org/web/20051129000000/http://www .bnsf.com/media/news/articles/2005/01/2005_01_24a.html)
November 29, 2005, at theWayback Machine., January 24, 2005
60. Front-runner for new BNSF image,Trains, June 2005, p. 20
61. BNSF selects new livery; is it "Heritage III"?,Trains, July 2005, p. 25
62. Another BNSF "one of a kind?",Trains, August 2005, p. 25
63. "BNSF - Sheyenne River Bridge"(http://bridgehunter.com/nd/griggs/bnsf-sheyenne-river/). Bridgehunter.com. July
22, 2013.
64. "Lake Ashtabula Segment"(http://www.northcountrytrail.org/srv/trails.php). North County Trail Association -
Sheyenne River Valley Chapter. Retrieved August 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)

References
BNSF Railway (January 24, 2005),BNSF Adopts New Corporate and Subsidiary Logos and Changes Name of
Railway Subsidiary as Part of Tenth Anniversary Celebration. Retrieved January 25, 2005.
BNSF Railway (February 9, 2005),Port of Los Angeles begins discussions with BNSF Railway Company on new
intermodal facility. Retrieved February 10, 2005.

External links
Official website
Official Twitter account
BNSF Railway SEC Filings
Citizens for Rail Security
List and Family Trees of North American Railroads

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