Railroad News

BNSF Railway Co. has awarded its "Certified Sites" designation to three new industrial locations in Oklahoma, Montana and Saskatchewan.

The program identifies optimal rail-served sites for customer development along the Class I's network. To be considered for the designation, sites must undergo a thorough analysis that includes an evaluation of environmental and geotechnical standards, available utilities and site availability.

BNSF Railway Co. yesterday unveiled its newest logistics center during an event held in Moore, Oklahoma, for customers, local officials and residents.

Located within the city limits of Oklahoma City and Moore, Logistics Center Oklahoma City is designed to accommodate manifest and unit trains, and store freight. The facility can handle up to four manifest and two unit trains at a time.

BNSF Railway Co. reported second-quarter net income rose 37 percent to $1.3 billion and total revenue climbed 12 percent to nearly $5.9 billion compared with the same quarter a year ago.

The Class I attributed the revenue growth to a 5 percent increase in unit volume, according to a performance summary posted on BNSF's website.

The Port of Portland is continuing its Terminal 6 service with BNSF Railway Co. through mid-2019, as part of a larger focus to increase options to shippers at Terminal 6, port officials announced this week.

The intermodal rail service, which began in January, moves containers by rail between Portland and the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. Goods are loaded from rail on or off ocean carriers, with three carriers using the service in Washington, port officials said in a press release.

BNSF Railway Co. has certified the Ceres Global Ag Corp.'s terminal site for development in Northgate, Saskatchewan.

The goal of the Class I's certification program is to identify business parks, logistics centers and other rail-served sites in its network that have a high potential for development.

BNSF Railway Co. reported first-quarter 2018 total revenue rose 8 percent to $5.6 billion from $5.2 billion a year ago as a result of a 5 percent increase in unit volume.

First-quarter net income net income soared 37 percent to $1.1 billion from $838 million a year ago, while operating income climbed 11 percent to $1.7 billion from $1.6 billion, BNSF reported in a Q1 financial performance summary.

INFORMS recently honored BNSF Railway Co. with an award for pioneering and integrating operations research and analytics programs into its organization.

An international association for operations research and analytics professionals and students, INFORMS presents the award annually to recognize effective integration of operations research into organizational decision-making.

BNSF Railway Co. recently recognized its 2017 Employees of the Year at an awards ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas.

This year, the Class I recognized 73 of its 41,000 workers for individual and team achievements, BNSF officials said in a press release.

BNSF Railway Co. has filed an application to construct a second train bridge next to and west of an existing train bridge across Lake Pend Oreille and Sand Creek in Idaho.

The Idaho Department of Lands has scheduled public hearings on the application for May 23, according to a department press release.

BNSF Railway Co. has planned $230 million in capital expenditures this year to expand capacity and perform scheduled maintenance work in California.

BNSF, which operates a 2,000-mile network in California, will install additional production track and new lift equipment at the Los Angeles Intermodal Facility, and extend the existing north lead track to improve switching capability at the Stockton Intermodal Facility.

BNSF Railway Co.'s $3.3 billion capital investment plan will put the railroad in a position to meet customers' growth and service expectations this year, President and Chief Executive Officer Carl Ice told the Surface Transportation Board (STB) last week.

Ice is one of two Class I executives to respond so far to the STB's recent request for 2018 service outlook reports, as the board looks into shippers' complaints about deteriorating freight-rail service.

BNSF Railway Co.'s 2018 capital expenditure program will include $90 million for maintenance projects in Minnesota.

The largest component of this year's capital plan in the state will be replacing and upgrading rail, ties and ballast, the Class I announced in a press release.

The Washington Department of Ecology last week approved BNSF Railway Co.'s response plan in the event of a crude-oil spill.

The action marks the first railroad oil-spill plan approved in the state, according to a department press release.

BNSF Railway Co. will spend $80 million this year on maintenance and expansion projects in New Mexico.

About half of BNSF's New Mexico capital expenditures plan will focus on upgrading rail, ties and ballast. The remainder of the plan will go toward track expansion, including in the Gallup Subdivision.

BNSF Railway Co. has requested to join Lighthouse Resources' lawsuit against Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and key members of his administration over permit denials for Millennium Bulk Terminals' proposed Longview coal terminal.

BNSF's complaint contends that Washington state officials unduly violated interstate commerce, a violation of the U.S. Constitution's dormant commerce clause and the ICC Termination Act (ICCTA) by using supposed rail impacts to deny permits for Millennium Bulk Terminals.

BNSF Railway Co. posted fourth-quarter and full-year operating income of $2 billion and $7.3 billion respectively, an increase of 11 percent and 10 percent, respectively, compared with the same periods in 2016, the Class I reported yesterday.

Fourth-quarter revenue rose 6 percent to $5.6 billion, while full-year revenue increased 8 percent to $21.3 billion. BNSF attributed those results to increases in unit volume for the fourth quarter of 3 percent and full year of 5 percent, as well as higher average revenue per car/unit.

BNSF Railway Co. will spend $110 million this year on network maintenance projects in Oklahoma.

The Class I's Oklahoma capital expenditures program in 2018 will primarily focus on replacing and upgrading rail, ties and ballast, according to a BNSF press release.