Northwest New Mexico Eyes New Freight Rail Service
HDR will study the feasibility of new freight rail service serving San Juan County, N.Mex., which would include an interchange with BNSF.
BNSF
Commentary
Labor Talks: A Headache But Never a Bore
WATCHING WASHINGTON, RAILWAY AGE MARCH 2022 ISSUE: “The farmer and the cowman should be friends,” wrote Rodgers and Hammerstein for the 1943 musical, Oklahoma! In 1967, Aretha Franklin recorded R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Five gets you 10 that neither friendship nor respect exist at the bargaining table where rail management and labor have been negotiating contract amendments since January 2020.
BNSF: $1.5B in 2021 Economic Development
Investments from BNSF-served customers totaled approximately $1.5 billion in 2021, the Class I railroad reported on March 3; this reflects work on new or expanded facilities by companies such as The Gatorade Company Inc., Mark Anthony Brewing and Northern Metal Recycling.
Supply Side: Amsted Rail, PowerRail, ZEBOX
Amsted Rail has earned Microsoft’s Use-Case of the Year recognition for manufacturing. Also, PowerRail is moving its aftermarket locomotive parts business to Exeter, Pa.; and seven U.S. transportation and logistics companies, including BNSF and the Port of Virginia, have partnered with ZEBOX to help support startups.
BNSF to STB: Ensure Cross-Border Competition
BNSF is asking the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to impose conditions that preserve competition, particularly at the U.S.-Mexico border, if the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger is approved.
Commentary
At BNSF, Women Finding a Career Track
As part of Women’s History Month, observed in the United States each March since 1987, BNSF reflects on the contributions of women and what makes the Class I railroad a great place to work—for current and future women in railroading.
Jaguar Launches MER
Jaguar Transport Holdings on March 1 began operating the 60-mile Missouri Eastern Railroad (MER), its seventh short line.
Buffet to Berkshire Shareholders: ‘You Can Be Proud of Your Railroad’
BNSF has reported record net earnings of $5.99 billion in 2021, up 16.1% from 2020. “Here, it should be noted, we are talking about the old-fashioned sort of earnings that we favor: a figure calculated after interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and all forms of compensation,” Warren E. Buffett, Chairman/CEO of parent company Berkshire Hathaway Inc. told shareholders in a Feb. 26 letter.
Judge to Unions: No Strike Over BNSF Hi-Viz
U.S. District Court Judge Mark Pittman on Feb. 22 blocked the BLET (Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen) and the SMART Transportation Division—the two unions opposed to BNSF’s planned Hi-Viz worker availability policy—from striking.
CP-KCS Merger Proceeding Moves Forward
BNSF and CN last month told the Surface Transportation Board (STB) they may request limited overhead trackage rights and a line divestiture, respectively, due to the proposed merger of Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS).