BNSF

Intermodal, coal, and grains are driving Class I railroad traffic higher.

BNSF Railway and Union Pacific came to an agreement on routing of intermodal trains ahead of a meeting with regulators. 

Jaguar Transport Holdings is seeking to buy two railroads in Washington state, the company said in filings. 

BNSF is eyeing intra-Texas drayers with expedited intermodal services connecting Los Angeles and Houston.

BNSF asks Surface Transportation Board for emergency order to start southern California-Salt Lake City service over Union Pacific tracks.

Intermodal helped make CPKC the fastest-growing railroad in the second quarter.

That light at the end of the rail merger tunnel is becoming an oncoming investment express.

The Port of Los Angeles expects to boost exports from a rail-served logistics park in California’s Central Valley.

BNSF and CSX hauled a trainload of tanks and other military equipment to Washington for the Army’s 250th birthday parade. 

History doesn’t provide a road map for how intermodal traffic may perform in the midst of a trade war, analyst Larry Gross says.

BNSF Railway introduced the First Mile/Last Mile team dedicated to development of single-carload traffic.

In the calm before the surge, BNSF is confident its network can handle the coming wave of import containers from Asia.

Railroad executives told an investors conference that future mergers face likely insurmountable regulatory hurdles.

Eastbound international container volume out of Southern California was down 5% from the prior week and 10% compared to the four-week rolling average, according to RailState.

Talk of mergers is making the rounds of Class I railroads as a way to kick-start growth and take advantage of a business-friendly Trump administration.

BNSF has laid off a number of workers as it restructures its technology operations.

Pricing gains and volume growth spurred BNSF Railway to modestly higher first-quarter profits.

Most major railroads maintained their 2025 outlooks even amid worries about trade and the economy.

The Surface Transportation Board will decide whether Union Pacific is blocking rival BNSF from accessing a Utah logistics park.

With Chinese imports tanking and fewer calls expected at West Coast ports, many empty containers won’t have a way back to Asia.

Union Pacific has brought a rare trackage rights dispute with BNSF to the Surface Transportation Board.

Two trade-dependent intermodal projects by BNSF Railway will move forward despite the Trump administration’s announcement of new tariffs.

A partnership of BNSF, Norfolk Southern and the Northwest Seaport Alliance are offering expedited service from the Pacific Northwest to the Chicago rail hub.

BNSF’s group vice president for industrial products has been named chief executive of shortline rail operator OmniTRAX.

With an international intermodal surge winding down, analyst Larry Gross pins his hopes on domestic intermodal share gains.

Class 1 railroads saw mixed results in Q4 of 2024, but consultant Oliver Wyman sees a steadier year ahead.

BNSF Railway said customers invested $4.2 billion in industrial projects on its network in 2024.

Port fees on Chinese ships are aimed at boosting U.S. shipbuilding but could have follow-on effects for intermodal traffic, too.

The early-year supply chain lull swept rail freight in the latest carload data from the Association of American Railroads.

BNSF’s saw fourth quarter revenue decline primarily due to a 6.6% drop in average revenue per carload.

Union Pacific might be running the smoothest rail network.

U.S. rail traffic has risen for the fifth time in the first six weeks of 2025.

While the global supply chain seemed whipsawed on a daily basis in 2024, one thing remained constant: a veritable tsunami of ocean containers moving through the Port of Los Angeles. The busiest U.S. maritime trade hub moved 10.3 million container units in 2024, a record 1.7 million TEUs or nearly 20% higher than a year […]

U.S. rail traffic showed a massive jump for the week ending Jan. 18, 2025, with both carload and intermodal traffic up more than 25% from the same week a year earlier. Statistics from the Association of American Railroads show overall traffic for the week was 500,160 carloads and intermodal units, a 25.9% increase. That included […]

Intermodal volumes boosted weekly U.S. rail traffic even as overall carloads slipped compared to the same week in 2024.

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — The power of data, or more accurately, of well-used data, may not have explicitly been the topic of BNSF Railway CEO Katie Farmer’s presentation at the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers Winter Meeting. But it was a recurring theme of several subjects she touched on as part of her keynote address Wednesday […]

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — The question of the day, on the first day of the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers Winter Meeting, is probably one being asked in one form or another at every business in the United States — or that does business with the U.S. What about tariffs? The consensus Wednesday was, not surprisingly, […]

Weekly U.S. rail traffic showed a slight uptick over 2024 in the first report from the Association of American Railroads for 2025. Overall volume for the week ending Jan. 4 was 421,410 carloads and intermodal units, a 1% increase over the first week a year ago. That included 198,500 carloads, down 4.6%, and 222,910 containers […]

At TRB, educators and rail executives urge a strategic rethinking of how the industry attracts new talent, upskills current workers.

Intermodal continues to pace weekly U.S. rail traffic while carloads edged downward, according to the Association of American Railroads.

Continuing consumer demand and frontloading by importers in November helped the Port of Los Angeles to double-digit gains in container volumes.

To honor fallen veterans during the holidays, a number of companies regularly partner with Wreaths Across America to deliver wreaths for placement on headstones. Among them are BNSF Railway and J.B. Hunt Transport Services. Wreaths Across America has a mission to “Remember, Honor, and Teach,” and every year since 2007 the organization has coordinated wreath-laying […]

U.S. rail traffic is back on track after November swings, with intermodal gains outpacing weaker carloads.

The Port of Los Angeles posted record container volume in October on resilient consumer spending and a strong economy.

BNSF Railway’s profits, revenue and volume all increased for the third quarter, thanks to surging intermodal and agricultural shipments.

An early peak shipping season, strong economy and resilient consumer spending boosted container volume to a record quarter at the Port of Los Angeles.

U.S. railroads see the highest weekly intermodal traffic since the pandemic, and ongoing supply chain issues could aid further gains as a threatened longshore strike creeps closer.

Internal email reveals $105 million in maintenance cutbacks at BNSF that could lead to service disruptions.

Regulators may consider more oversight as a way to improve rail volumes.

Minnesota’s federally mandated State Freight Plan identifies key areas for investment in the statewide transportation system to ensure goods movement that is safe, efficient and sustainable.

The agreements were announced just days after CSX completed early deals with its unions as labor flexes its newfound strength with employers following the pandemic.

The Biden administration is calling railroad executives to Washington to explain how they plan to reverse negative cargo trends and grow their business.

This week in Borderlands: Private sector investment in Mexico $39B so far in 2024; BNSF announces intermodal logistics hub near Phoenix; Trailer manufacturer launches production facility in Eagle Pass, Texas; and Doosan Bobcat begins construction of $300M plant in Mexico.

This week in Borderlands: China-to-Mexico freight spurs growth in Laredo, Texas; BNSF sues Texas city over stalled logistics center; RJW Logistics acquires second warehouse near Dallas; and sportswear giant Puma opens distribution center near Phoenix.

BNSF Railway has filed an appeal for an asbestos trial verdict that ruled the railroad was liable in the deaths of two people in Montana.

BNSF Railway reportedly furloughed hundreds of mechanical department workers at train yards in 4 states.

A case in Illinois involving BNSF Railway and a federal law on biometric information privacy has its settlement figure: $75 million.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reopened the international border crossings at Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, according to the freight railroads affected by the five-day closure.

Union Pacific wants customers to lobby Congress to get U.S. Customs and Border Protection to say when suspended freight rail operations in El Paso and Eagle Pass, Texas, will resume.

U.S. border officials on Monday suspended freight rail operations in El Paso and Eagle Pass, Texas, in response to a surge in migrants in the region.

Two environmental groups say BNSF should do more to reduce deaths of grizzly bears being hit by freight trains on federally protected grounds in Idaho and Montana.

J.B. Hunt and BNSF Railway are heralding a new era in freight transport with an intermodal partnership called Quantum. With it, they hope to add enough value to win market share from truckload freight.

Outgoing STB Chair Martin Oberman had harsh words for Union Pacific at the RailTrends conference.

Two sites in Iowa and one in Kansas have been added to BNSF’s certified sites list for locations that are primed for industrial development and near BNSF’s rail network.

BNSF, J.B. Hunt Transport Services and Mexico’s GMXT are launching an intermodal service in January between Mexico and the Midwest.

BNSF and Navajo Transitional Energy Co. have reached a settlement on NTEC’s request for more rail service to export coal.

A 13% decline in total revenues dented BNSF’s net profit for the third quarter.

A BNSF coal train derailed at a bridge north of Pueblo, Colorado, spilling coal and rail cars onto Interstate 25 beneath. The highway remains closed for now.

U.S. intermodal volumes actually grew in September, according to the Association of American Railroads. And with the harvest season in full swing in the fourth quarter, expect rising grain volumes.

BNSF and SMART-TD have reached a tentative agreement addressing how BNSF handles work schedules for train conductors and other related union members.

BNSF has reached a settlement in a lawsuit it lost earlier that threatened it with a payout of $228 million.

BNSF and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way – Employes Division have struck a sick leave deal for union members.

Regulatory policy expert Rosyln Layton says it’s dangerous to have the Surface Transportation Board lay the grounds for defining how rail service should look under the common carrier obligation.

Union Pacific is seeking to bring operations back to normal at two of its California subdivisions that were hit by Tropical Storm Hilary.

In a 3-2 vote, the Surface Transportation Board denied BNSF’s request to halt an order compelling the railway to ship 1 million more tons of Montana coal should it reach the capacity to do so.

BNSF’s Sandpoint Junction project entailed the construction of a new bridge and the rehabilitation of an older bridge across Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho.

Second-quarter freight volumes fell 11% across BNSF’s segments for consumer, agricultural and industrial products and coal.

BNSF wants a court to throw out an order from the Surface Transportation Board that BNSF ship more export coal on behalf of Navajo Transitional Energy Co.

The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way – Employes Division says BNSF is relying too much on contracted work and isn’t doing enough to grow its ranks of maintenance-of-way employees.

BNSF has reached a sick leave and work-rest agreement with BLET; CSX and SMART-TD have partnered to extend CSX’s conductor trainee program.

The National Transportation Safety Board says more frequent track inspections could have helped prevent a fatal September 2021 Amtrak derailment that was caused by “poor track conditions.”

Sites in Arizona, Alabama and elsewhere are being prepared to host rail-served industrial facilities.

The Surface Transportation Board has ordered BNSF to meet the Navajo Transitional Energy Company’s request for more coal trains.

BNSF is seeking a waiver from the Federal Railroad Administration to expand a brake health technology program, and the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen supports the effort.

BNSF is offering additional sick leave days to some members allifated with SMART-TD.

Navajo Transitional Energy Co. is asking the Surface Transportation Board to declare an emergency service order that would compel BNSF to ship more export coal from the company.

BNSF will expand intermodal service offerings between Alliance, Texas, and its facility at the Port of Houston, which could benefit the markets of Dallas-Fort Worth and Denver.

Higher expenses and lower carload volumes contributed to a year-over-year dip in BNSF’s net profits for the first quarter.

Union Pacific, BNSF and Norfolk Southern need to go further in improving rail service, according to a Surface Transportation Board decision requiring the railroads to submit service performance reports.

BNSF is conducting further analysis on a piece of fractured rail from the March derailment of a BNSF train in Minnesota, according to an initial investigation report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

Four rail cars caught fire when a BNSF train 100 miles northwest of Minneapolis derailed early Thursday morning. The incident spurred an evacuation of area residents within a half-mile of the scene.

Canadian railway CN and the union Unifor have reached a tentative collective deal, thus averting a potential strike. BNSF and Canadian Pacific also have reached agreements.

BNSF and three unions reach sick leave deals; Trinity Industries acquires a 3PL; and STB names new members to an energy transportation advisory committee.

Three rail unions representing mechanical workers say BNSF violated federal labor laws because of the way it has handled the staffing for its locomotive maintenance program. The unions also argue that BNSF has been deferring maintenance and adhering to a minimum standard.

Despite an increase in revenues for BNSF, higher fuel costs contributed to a softer operating income for the fourth quarter of 2022.

BNSF signs deals with the Transportation Communications Union and National Conference of Firemen & Oilers (NCFO), while NS also seals a pact with NCFO.

BNSF has set a $3.96 billion capital expenditures budget for 2023.

Patriot Rail seals a deal; BNSF signs an MOU; Trinity strengthens its position; Port of Pasco secures project funding; Indiana Rail Road sets titles; and Hedlund succeeds Schulz as STB vice chair.

Norfolk Southern has announced plans to acquire the Cincinnati Southern Railway while BNSF has opened a bridge in Idaho meant to ease bottlenecks.

The head of the railroads’ key regulator spoke at RailTrends and was highly critical of the industry’s job cutting of recent years.