1/26/2017
Rail News: BNSF Railway
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The storage dome can hold 60,000 metric tons of sugar.Photo – American Crystal Sugar Co. By
Railroad News
Jan
26
Jan
26
Rail News Home BNSF Railway January 2017 Rail News: BNSF Railway
The storage dome can hold 60,000 metric tons of sugar.Photo – American Crystal Sugar Co. ByThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , Associate EditorUnited Sugars Corp. and American Crystal Sugar Co. in November 2016 unveiled a $44 million bulk sugar storage and transfer facility on BNSF Railway Co.'s network in Montgomery, Ill. Located 45 miles west of Chicago, the facility is in an ideal spot for reaching United Sugars' large customer base in the Chicagoland and Great Lakes areas, said BNSF Director of Ethanol and Bulk Foods Keeley Motley at the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers (MARS) winter conference earlier this month.In addition, the site is well situated for sugar shipments arriving from the Red River Valley at the Minnesota-North Dakota border."If you're loading the rail cars in Minnesota and North Dakota, you're already west of Chicago, … so you're not having to go further than necessary," Motley told attendees at the conference, which ran Jan. 11-12 in Oak Brook, Ill. The 20-acre site includes a 26,000-square-foot storage dome, which can hold 60,000 metric tons of sugar. The shipper expects to move almost twice as much sugar to customers each year.BNSF officials anticipate that the facility will lead to a 10 percent reduction in the cycle time for shipping sugar, Motley said.BNSF trains operate the long-haul leg of the journey, while Burlington Junction Railway provides direct service into the facility.Photo – American Crystal Sugar Co.
The storage dome can hold 60,000 metric tons of sugar.Photo – American Crystal Sugar Co. By
Before the storage dome was built, the railroad shipped sugar directly to Chicago-area receivers that didn't always have storage space for the product. That meant rail car cars could sit idle waiting to be unloaded.
"Any time that the rail car is sitting at the receiver means that's time it's not back at the plant getting ready for its next load," Motley said.
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Jan
20
Rail News Home BNSF Railway 1/20/2017 Rail News: BNSF Railway
BNSF has slated $3.4 billion in capital projects for 2017.Photo – BNSF's Twitter account
BNSF has slated $3.4 billion in capital projects for 2017.Photo – BNSF's Twitter account
BNSF Railway Co. unveiled a $3.4 billion capital expenditure plan for 2017, the Class I announced yesterday.
Similar to last year's $3.9 billion plan, the largest component of this year's program will be to replace and maintain the railroad's core network and related assets. That aspect of this year's work will amount to about $2.4 billion, BNSF officials said in a press release.
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Jan
20
1/20/2017
Rail News: BNSF Railway
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Jan
10
Rail News Home BNSF Railway January 2017 Rail News: BNSF Railway
Logistics Park Kansas City is anchored by a busy BNSF intermodal terminal.Photo – BNSF Railway Co. ByThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , Managing EditorFor Class Is, industrial development (id) is key to generating traffic. They continually work with shippers to explore a plant expansion or evaluate transportation options that might involve transloading, all with the intent of increasing volume.The large roads also constantly seek to add new customers and traffic sources by promoting sites along their mainlines for new facilities. The typical selling points: viable rail access, close proximity to interstates, and large tracts of land that can be quickly acquired and developed.BNSF Railway Co. has tried to accelerate ID efforts in recent years to gain as big a business boost as possible, especially of the intermodal variety. From 2011 through 2015, the Class I each year landed more than $1 billion worth of new or expanded facilities along its lines, including $1.2 billion in 2015 and nearly $1.5 billion in 2014. And as of late last month, BNSF was on pace to surpass the $1 billion mark for the sixth-straight year, with about 100 ID projects on the 2016 docket, including several at a fast-growing, footprint-swelling logistics park in Kansas.What by all counts appeared to be another successful year is a testament to the company’s ID approach in the face of 2016’s sluggish economy and murky political climate, says BNSF Assistant Vice President of Economic Development Colby Tanner.“We try to engage with customers and communities. It’s important to see [ID] as a partnership,” he says.By proactively partnering with customers, the railroad can develop transportation solutions that enhance and improve their supply chain, says BNSF Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Steve Bobb.“We need to play the role of a trusted adviser that can help guide our customers from the initial identification of a potential development site to its design and its ultimate construction,” he says. “Customer investments — which are key to connecting all types of business supply chains to our rail network — are driven by the confidence our customers have in the transportation services we provide them.”BNSF aims to abide by three tenets to drive ID: collaboration, transparency and responsiveness, says Tanner. That calls for such efforts as assisting states and communities with infrastructure needs, providing detailed information on routing a domestic or international shipment, or quickly compiling a cost estimate on a new industrial siding.The railroad also strives to help potential customers identify optimal rail-served sites for a new facility — an effort boosted in March 2016 by the introduction of a site certification program — and resolve any zoning, permitting or other arising issues.“We want to have an openness with customers, and not dictate to them,” says Tanner. “We try to work through issues collaboratively.”A logistical approachAnother vital component of BNSF’s ID strategy: developing logistics centers and parks. Logistics centers offer direct rail service via manifest or unit trains in multi-customer, multi-commodity business parks that primarily target under-served and end-user markets. For example, BNSF in 2014 opened a $45 million logistics center in Sweetwater, Texas, that provides rail, truck and transload services for agricultural products, sand, pipe and aggregates transported in the crude-oil-rich Permian Basin.A map shows the location of the Class I's three logistics parks and three logistics centers. Source: BNSF Railway Co.
Logistics Park Kansas City is anchored by a busy BNSF intermodal terminal.Photo – BNSF Railway Co. By
Logistics parks are strategically located to serve major markets via BNSF’s intermodal network. Anchored by an intermodal facility, the parks are designed to attract distribution centers, warehouses and light manufacturing plants by offering shippers lower overall transportation costs — including drayage rates — maximized truck turns and supply chain efficiencies.
Logistics parks help attract beneficial cargo owners like Amazon, Target and Wal-Mart, since ID now tends to focus more on consumer products than agricultural and industrial products, says Tanner.
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Jan
05
Rail News Home BNSF Railway 1/5/2017 Rail News: BNSF Railway
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is proposing the construction of a multi-span bridge to improve the safety of what is now a BNSF Railway Co. grade crossing on Highway 47 in the city of Anoka.The department's recommendation is included in a feasibility study released Tuesday. The crossing averages about 18,300 vehicles each day with up to 80 train crossings a day for an average of one train every 24 minutes, MnDOT officials said in a press release.In addition to public safety concerns, the crossing contributes to delays and backups for motorists while trains are crossing, they said. The study was the result of MnDOT meetings with local officials, businesses and the public to gather input on ways to improve safety for motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists and trains.Two alternatives were evaluated: build the bridge over the railroad or lower the road beneath the railroad alignment.Currently unfunded, the proposed bridge would include two travel lanes with a multi-use rail on the east side. It would be designed to allow for construction of an additional two lanes if Highway 47 is expanded in the future, MnDOT officials said. Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff. More News from 1/5/2017
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is proposing the construction of a multi-span bridge to improve the safety of what is now a BNSF Railway Co. grade crossing on Highway 47 in the city of Anoka.The department's recommendation is included in a feasibility study released Tuesday. The crossing averages about 18,300 vehicles each day with up to 80 train crossings a day for an average of one train every 24 minutes, MnDOT officials said in a press release.In addition to public safety concerns, the crossing contributes to delays and backups for motorists while trains are crossing, they said. The study was the result of MnDOT meetings with local officials, businesses and the public to gather input on ways to improve safety for motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists and trains.Two alternatives were evaluated: build the bridge over the railroad or lower the road beneath the railroad alignment.Currently unfunded, the proposed bridge would include two travel lanes with a multi-use rail on the east side. It would be designed to allow for construction of an additional two lanes if Highway 47 is expanded in the future, MnDOT officials said. Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff. More News from 1/5/2017
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Jan
05
1/5/2017
Rail News: BNSF Railway
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Jan
04
Rail News Home BNSF Railway 1/4/2017 Rail News: BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway Co. and J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. announced yesterday they both have exercised their right to arbitrate a revenue division in a joint service agreement.The service agreement provides that the revenue division will be a negotiated provision determined by the companies and reviewed quarterly, according to a J.B. Hunt press release.The arbitration involves the division of revenue collected under the agreement as of May 1, 2016, J.B. Hunt officials said."The fairness of the revenue division has not been reviewed by a third party in more than 10 years, and the intermodal network built by the parties over that time has seen tremendous growth and increased operating complexities," stated J.B. Hunt's press release.Although the arbitration proceeding is infrequent and may be "lengthy and time consuming," the company considers it a normal part of business, J.B. Hunt officials added.Because the agreement's terms and the arbitration proceedings are confidential, BNSF declined to comment on the matter."BNSF continues to be focused on providing excellent service to our customers, which will not be affected by this review," BNSF officials said in a press release. Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff. More News from 1/4/2017
BNSF Railway Co. and J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. announced yesterday they both have exercised their right to arbitrate a revenue division in a joint service agreement.The service agreement provides that the revenue division will be a negotiated provision determined by the companies and reviewed quarterly, according to a J.B. Hunt press release.The arbitration involves the division of revenue collected under the agreement as of May 1, 2016, J.B. Hunt officials said."The fairness of the revenue division has not been reviewed by a third party in more than 10 years, and the intermodal network built by the parties over that time has seen tremendous growth and increased operating complexities," stated J.B. Hunt's press release.Although the arbitration proceeding is infrequent and may be "lengthy and time consuming," the company considers it a normal part of business, J.B. Hunt officials added.Because the agreement's terms and the arbitration proceedings are confidential, BNSF declined to comment on the matter."BNSF continues to be focused on providing excellent service to our customers, which will not be affected by this review," BNSF officials said in a press release. Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff. More News from 1/4/2017
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Jan
04
1/4/2017
Rail News: BNSF Railway
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Dec
29
Rail News Home BNSF Railway 12/29/2016 Rail News: BNSF Railway
A rail spur between a BNSF line and the park will be built in 2017.Photo – BNSF.com
A rail spur between a BNSF line and the park will be built in 2017.Photo – BNSF.com
New Mexico and local officials broke ground yesterday on the Central New Mexico Rail Park near Los Lunas.
Located near the BNSF Railway Co. network, the park will provide a major connection between Southern California and Chicago, Los Lunas and Bernalillo County officials said in a press release.
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Dec
29
12/29/2016
Rail News: BNSF Railway
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Nov
11
Rail News Home BNSF Railway 11/11/2016 Rail News: BNSF Railway
American Crystal Sugar recently opened the facility on BNSF's network.Photo – bnsf.com
American Crystal Sugar recently opened the facility on BNSF's network.Photo – bnsf.com
BNSF Railway Co. will serve a new $40 million bulk-sugar storage facility on its network in Montgomery, Ill.
American Crystal Sugar recently opened the facility on BNSF's network. The facility includes a 26,000-square-foot storage dome, a 17,000 square-foot transfer facility and 5,500 feet of track space, according to a post on BNSF's website.
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Nov
11
11/11/2016
Rail News: BNSF Railway
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Nov
07
Rail News Home BNSF Railway 11/7/2016 Rail News: BNSF Railway
Declining coal volumes, as well as weaker shipments of energy-related commodities, certain other industrial products categories and were factors in BNSF's resultsPhoto – BNSF.com
Declining coal volumes, as well as weaker shipments of energy-related commodities, certain other industrial products categories and were factors in BNSF's resultsPhoto – BNSF.com
BNSF Railway Co.'s third-quarter net income declined 12 percent to $1.02 billion and total revenue fell 8 percent to $5.2 billion compared with third-quarter 2015 results.
Declining coal volumes, as well as weaker shipments of energy-related commodities and certain other industrial products categories were factors in BNSF's results, according to the Class I's website.
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Nov
07
11/7/2016
Rail News: BNSF Railway
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Nov
02
Rail News Home BNSF Railway 11/2/2016 Rail News: BNSF Railway
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission has approved a $10,000 grant to make rail safety upgrades near a railroad crossing and track in King County, Wash.The grant was provided through the Grade Crossing Protective Fund at the request of the city of Auburn, Wash. BNSF Railway Co. owns the tracks involved in the project.The city requested $10,306 to extend safety fencing along the city's right-of-way at B Street NW to the West Main Street crossing in Auburn. Additional fencing will also be installed on the city's right-of-way on both sides of the railroad tracks at 2nd Street NW, just north of the West Main Street crossing. The track area involved has a history of four pedestrian and train incidents since 2007, including three fatalities, according to a commission press release.The fencing will be used to prevent pedestrians from walking on the track and direct them to the West Main Street crossing, which is equipped with active railroad warning devices. The upgrades must be completed by May 1, 2017. The city will provide ongoing maintenance of the fencing. Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff. More News from 11/2/2016
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission has approved a $10,000 grant to make rail safety upgrades near a railroad crossing and track in King County, Wash.The grant was provided through the Grade Crossing Protective Fund at the request of the city of Auburn, Wash. BNSF Railway Co. owns the tracks involved in the project.The city requested $10,306 to extend safety fencing along the city's right-of-way at B Street NW to the West Main Street crossing in Auburn. Additional fencing will also be installed on the city's right-of-way on both sides of the railroad tracks at 2nd Street NW, just north of the West Main Street crossing. The track area involved has a history of four pedestrian and train incidents since 2007, including three fatalities, according to a commission press release.The fencing will be used to prevent pedestrians from walking on the track and direct them to the West Main Street crossing, which is equipped with active railroad warning devices. The upgrades must be completed by May 1, 2017. The city will provide ongoing maintenance of the fencing. Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff. More News from 11/2/2016
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Nov
02
11/2/2016
Rail News: BNSF Railway
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Oct
21
Rail News Home BNSF Railway 10/21/2016 Rail News: BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway worked with CSX and two humanitarian organizations to move a trainload of relief supplies for hurricane survivors in Haiti. Photo – bnsfmedia.com
BNSF Railway worked with CSX and two humanitarian organizations to move a trainload of relief supplies for hurricane survivors in Haiti. Photo – bnsfmedia.com
[Editor's note: This story was updated at 3 p.m. Central time.]
BNSF Railway Co., CSX and Florida East Coast Railway (FECR) this week assisted two humanitarian organizations move a trainload of relief supplies for hurricane survivors in Haiti, according to a report on BNSF's website.
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Oct
21
10/21/2016
Rail News: BNSF Railway
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Oct
21
10/21/2016
Rail News: BNSF Railway
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