BNSF Railway

{{Main|Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway|Burlington Northern Railroad}}

File:BNSF freight train near Shallowater, Texas, 2009, behind Dash9-44CW locomotive no 1041.jpg railroad tracks that run parallel to U.S. Route 84 as they cross the high plains of the Llano Estacado. Immediately behind the locomotive are cars painted in the old Burlington Northern livery.]]

BNSF's history dates to 1849, when the Aurora Branch Railroad in Illinois and the Pacific Railroad of Missouri were formed by a group of millers who were granted a charter to build a {{convert|12|mi|km}}-long railroad that connected Aurora with the Galena & Chicago Union Rail Road.{{Cite book |last1=Middleton |first1=William D. |title=Encyclopedia of North American Railroads |last2=MORGAN |first2=RICK |last3=Diehl |first3=Roberta L. |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-253-02799-3 |location=Bloomington, Indiana |pages=220 |language=en}} The Aurora Branch eventually grew into the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q), a major component of successor Burlington Northern. Part of the Pacific Railroad became the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco).{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}

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 Company in the 1980s.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}

The Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) was created in 1970 through the consolidation of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, the Great Northern Railway, the Northern Pacific Railway and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway. It absorbed the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco) in 1980. Its main lines included Chicago-Seattle with branches to Texas (ex-Burlington) and Birmingham, Alabama (ex-Frisco), and access to the low-sulfur coal of Wyoming's Powder River Basin.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}

The city of Burlington, Iowa is the namesake of Burlington in each of Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, Burlington Northern Railroad, and BNSF.

File:BNSF container train led by GE Dash 9-44CW locomotives at Winslow, Arizona.png 4464 leads a container train through Winslow, Arizona, in the rain on the BNSF Southern Transcon in Northern Arizona.]]

On June 30, 1994, BN and ATSF announced plans to merge.{{Cite book |last1=Bryant |first1=Keith |title=History of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway |last2=Frailey |first2=Fred W. |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-4962-2271-8 |location=Lincoln |language=en}}{{Page needed|date=May 2023}} They were the largest and smallest (by track 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.{{Cite magazine |date=September 1994 |title=Railroad News |magazine=Trains |pages=14–16}} 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,Michael W. Blaszak, Illinois Central, KCS seek a potent union, Trains, October 1994, pp. 14–16 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.Don Phillips, UP vies for Santa Fe; IC+KCS called off, Trains, January 1995, pp. 20–24 The UP gave up on January 31, 1995, paving the way for the BN-ATSF merger.Arrivals & Departures, Trains, April 1995, p. 18 Subsequently, the UP acquired the Southern Pacific Transportation Company (SP) in 1996, and Eastern U.S. systems CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway split Conrail in 1999.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}

File:Ex. BN SD40-2.jpg

On February 7, 1995, BN and ATSF heads Gerald Grinstein and Robert D. Krebs announced that shareholders had approved the plan, which would save overhead costs and combine BN's coal and ATSF's intermodal strengths. Although the two systems complemented each other with little overlap,Kevin P. Keefe, Will Rob Krebs win the West?, Trains, May 1995, pp. 14–15 in contrast to the Santa Fe-Southern Pacific merger, which failed because it 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,Scanner, Trains, June 1995, p. 21 soon agreed to a reduced plan, whereby SP acquired trackage rights on ATSF for intermodal and automotive 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.J. David Ingles, BN-Santa Fe widens its lanes, Trains, July 1995, pp. 22–23 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 SPNews Photos, Trains, July 1996, p. 30 (which had rights on BN dating from 1990Interstate Commerce Commission, [http://fdsys.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-1995-09-01/html/95-21748.htm Finance Docket No. 31730 (Sub-No. 1)]{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, August 25, 1995). 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.Arrivals & Departures, Trains, October 1995, p. 18 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;Scanner, Trains, June 1996, p. 23 ATSF merged on December 31, 1996, into BN, which was renamed the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company.Securities and Exchange Commission, [http://secfilings.nasdaq.com/edgar_conv_html%2f2008%2f02%2f15%2f0000934612-08-000012.html#FIS_BUSINESS Form 10-K: Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation] for the year ended December 31, 2007

Union Pacific's merger with Southern Pacific further enlarged the combined BNSF network. Unlike BN and ATSF, UP and SP had significant overlap, where the end of competition between the two risked creating a monopoly for freight carriage in much of the West. UP and BNSF announced in late September 1995 that, in exchange for BNSF not opposing the merger, it would obtain ownership of {{convert|335|mi}} of line and about {{convert|3500|mi}} 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 the Feather 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.{{Cite magazine |last=Keefe |first=Kevin P. |date=December 1995 |title=Carving up the West |magazine=Trains |pages=16–18}}Surface Transportation Board, [http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/history/decision.pdf Finance Docket No. 32760], August 6, 1996 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.{{Cite magazine |last=Stephens |first=Bill |date=July 1996 |title=Is Conrail a UP spoiler? |magazine=Trains |pages=19–22}}Surface Transportation Board, [http://fdsys.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-1996-09-13/html/96-23504.htm Finance Docket No. 32760 (Sub-No. 19)]{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, September 9, 1996 The Surface Transportation Board, successor to the ICC, approved the UP-SP merger on July 3,{{Cite magazine |date=September 1996 |title=Arrivals & Departures |magazine=Trains |page=20}} and UP control of SP took effect on September 11, 1996.Arrivals & Departures, Trains, December 1996, p. 22 BNSF trackage rights operations began on the Central Corridor on October 10, and soon thereafter on other lines.{{Cite magazine |last=Ingles |first=J. David |date=January 1997 |title=BNSF begins service on UP merger routes |magazine=Trains |pages=20–21}}

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.{{Cite magazine |last=Kelly |first=Bruce |date=November 1997 |title=The thunder returns to Stampede Pass |magazine=Trains |pages=40–51}} The ex-ATSF main line, now known as the Southern Transcon, has also seen steady work to add tracks, giving BNSF more capacity on this major intermodal route.{{Cite magazine |last=Lustig |first=David |date=February 1995 |title=Merger or no, Santa Fe has work to do |magazine=Trains |pages=20–22}}

On December 20, 1999, BNSF and the recently privatized Canadian National Railway announced plans to combine as subsidiaries of a new holding company,[http://www.stb.dot.gov/home.nsf/case?openform&caseID=27089&caseDocket=FD_33842_0 STB Finance Docket No. 33842]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303180738/http://www.stb.dot.gov/home.nsf/case?openform&caseID=27089&caseDocket=FD_33842_0 |date=March 3, 2016 }} North American Railways, which would control about {{convert|50000|mi}} of railroad. With CN's lines 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.Michael W. Blaszak, CN, BNSF seek to combine; timing curious, Trains, March 2000, pp. 16–18 On March 17, 2000, the STB imposed a 15-month moratorium on mergers involving any two Class I railroads,[http://www.stb.dot.gov/home.nsf/case?openform&caseID=27108&caseDocket=EP_582_0 STB Ex Parte No. 582]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181343/http://www.stb.dot.gov/home.nsf/case?openform&caseID=27108&caseDocket=EP_582_0 |date=March 3, 2016 }} 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,Michael W. Blaszak, STB slams on the brakes on mergers, Trains, June 2000, pp. 16–17 which on July 14 ruled that the STB's right to regulate mergers allowed a moratorium, and the two railroads called off the merger.Michael W. Blaszak, Stymied: BNSF, CN won't fight on, Trains, October 2000, pp. 18–19 The STB released its final rules on June 11, 2001,[http://www.stb.dot.gov/home.nsf/case?openform&caseID=27147&caseDocket=EP_582_1 STB Ex Parte No. 582 (Sub-No. 1)]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303174412/http://www.stb.dot.gov/home.nsf/case?openform&caseID=27147&caseDocket=EP_582_1 |date=March 3, 2016 }} 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.Michael W. Blaszak, Lawyers, start your engines!, Trains, September 2001, pp. 16–17 No further Class I mergers would take place until the merger between Kansas City Southern and Canadian Pacific in April 2023, creating the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway.{{Cite web |date=February 19, 2022 |title=CP-KCS Merger Proceeding Moves Forward |url=https://www.railwayage.com/news/cp-kcs-merger-proceeding-moves-forward/}}{{Cite web |last=Franz |first=Justin |date=March 15, 2023 |title=LIVE UPDATES: Regulators Approve CP-KCS Merger |url=https://railfan.com/breaking-regulators-approve-cp-kcs-merger/ |access-date=March 15, 2023 |website=Railfan & Railroad Magazine |language=en-CA}}{{Cite web |title=Regulators approve Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger (updated) |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/regulators-approve-canadian-pacific-kansas-city-southern-merger/ |access-date=March 15, 2023 |website=Trains |date=March 15, 2023 |language=en-US}}

The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation was incorporated in 1993 to facilitate the merger of Burlington Northern, Incorporated, parent of the Burlington Northern Railroad, and Santa Fe Pacific Corporation, which owned the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (Santa Fe).{{Cite web |title=About BNSF – Contact Us – BNSF |url=http://www.bnsf.com/aboutbnsf/history/bn.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091231111817/http://bnsf.com/aboutbnsf/history/bn.html |archive-date=December 31, 2009 |website=BNSF Railway}} The corporate merger was consummated on September 22, 1995, at which point shareholders of the previous companies became shareholders of BNSF and the two companies became wholly owned subsidiaries of BNSF. In December 1996, the two holding companies and two railroads were formally merged, and in January 1998 the remaining intermediate holding company was folded into the railroad.

Robert Krebs of Santa Fe Pacific was president of BNSF from the merger until 1999, chief executive from the merger until 2000, and chairman from 1997 until 2002. He was succeeded in all three positions by Matthew K. Rose.

On November 3, 2009, Berkshire Hathaway made a $26 billion offer to buy the remaining 77.4% of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation it did not already own, valuing the purchase at $34 billion. The deal, including Berkshire's previous investment and the assumption of $10 billion in Burlington Northern debt, brings the total value to $44 billion.{{Cite news |date=November 3, 2009 |title=Berkshire Bets on U.S. With a Railroad Purchase |url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/berkshire-to-buy-rest-of-burlington-northern-for-44-billion/?_r=0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705074256/https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/berkshire-to-buy-rest-of-burlington-northern-for-44-billion/?_r=0 |archive-date=July 5, 2017}} Consummated February 12, 2010, it is the largest acquisition in Berkshire Hathaway's history.{{Cite news |last=Frye |first=Andrew |date=November 3, 2009 |title=Berkshire Buys Burlington in Buffett's Biggest Deal (Update5) |work=Bloomberg |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aonNZzzcmEOY |url-status=live |access-date=December 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924183252/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aonNZzzcmEOY |archive-date=September 24, 2015}}

The deal was structured so that the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation would merge with and into R Acquisition Company, LLC, an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. The deal closed on February 12, 2010, and at the same time, the now merged company changed its name to Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC. It remains an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.{{Cite web |last=BNSF Railway Company |date=March 1, 2013 |title=FORM 10-K |url=http://m.bnsf.com/about-bnsf/financial-information/pdf/10k-llc-2012.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913232048/http://m.bnsf.com/about-bnsf/financial-information/pdf/10k-llc-2012.pdf |archive-date=September 13, 2017 |access-date=September 13, 2017}}

In January 2022, BNSF agreed to purchase Montana Rail Link, a private company, for $2 billion, through an "early lease termination".{{cite magazine |date=April 2022 |title=Montana Rail Link to bow out |magazine=Trains |page=4}}{{Cite news |date=January 10, 2022 |title=MRL employees advised rail sold to BNSF |url=https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/mrl-employees-advised-rail-sold-to-bnsf |access-date=January 11, 2022 |work=NBC Montana |language=en-US}}Stephens, Bill. "BNSF had to undo Montana Rail Link Lease." Trains, May 2022, p. 11. The return to BNSF control required the approval of the Surface Transportation Board,{{Cite web |last=Franz |first=Justin |date=January 11, 2022 |title=Washington Companies to terminate Montana Rail Link lease |url=http://montanafreepress.org/2022/01/11/montana-rail-link-cedes-lease-to-bnsf/ |access-date=January 12, 2022 |website=Montana Free Press |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=January 14, 2022 |title=BNSF to take over Montana Rail Link after leasing agreement terminated |url=https://missoulacurrent.com/business/2022/01/montana-rail-link-2/ |access-date=January 17, 2022 |website=Missoula Current |language=en-US}} which was approved on March 8, 2023.[https://railfan.com/stb-approves-expedited-bnsf-takeover-of-mrl/ UPDATE: STB Approves MRL Lease Termination, BNSF to Takeover by Year's End] Railfan & Railroad March 8, 2023 The railroad had over {{convert|900|mi|km}} of track,{{Cite web |date=April 3, 2023 |title=Freight train derails into Clark Fork River |url=https://cdapress.com/news/2023/apr/03/freight-train-derails-clark-fork-river-coeur-dalen/ |access-date=April 3, 2023 |website=Coeur d'Alene Press |language=en |ref=CDPFP 23-04-03 Freight train derails into Clark Fork River}} and served 100 stations. The main classification yard was in Laurel, Montana, with smaller yards in Missoula, Billings, Bozeman and Helena.For a general guide to the railroad, see Del Grosso, "Montana Rail Link Trackside Guide and Locomotive Directory" (1992, Great Northern Pacific Publications).

BNSF took over MRL operations on January 1, 2024.{{cite magazine |last1=Stephens |first1=Bill |date=June 16, 2023 |title=BNSF Railway sets date for taking control of Montana Rail Link |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/bnsf-railway-sets-date-for-taking-control-of-montana-rail-link/ |access-date=September 27, 2023 |magazine=Trains}} This absorbed the MRL into BNSF, integrating MRL operations, technology and personnel. All 1,200 employees were offered employment with BNSF.{{Cite web |title=Montana Rail Link to meld into BNSF come 2024 - RailPrime {{!}} ProgressiveRailroading |url=https://www.progressiverailroading.com/RailPrime/Details/Montana-Rail-Link-to-meld-into-BNSF-come-2024--69965 |access-date=January 1, 2024 |website=RailPrime}}

File:Burlington Northern Santa Fe.jpg. The colors of the logo represented the railroads that are part of BNSF.]]

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 to coal-burning power plants.

BNSF serves over 1,500 grain elevators, located mostly in the Midwest on former BN lines.{{Cite web |title=BNSF Agricultural Facilities: On-line Grain Elevator Directory |url=http://www.bnsf.com/markets/agricultural/elevator/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509205627/http://www.bnsf.com/markets/agricultural/elevator/ |archive-date=May 9, 2009 |access-date=May 1, 2009}} 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 in Texas and the Gulf of Mexico.Fred W. Frailey, The Empire of BNSF, , June 2001, pp. 30–41

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway's main contribution to BNSF was the Southern Transcon, a fast intermodal corridor connecting Southern California and Chicago. Most traffic is either trailers of trucking companies such as intermodal partner J. B. Hunt, or containers from the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. The latter begins its trip on the triple-track Alameda Corridor, shared with the Union Pacific Railroad, and then follows BNSF rails from downtown Los Angeles. Its route, the Southern Transcon, has been almost completely double-tracked, and triple-tracking has begun in areas such as Cajon Pass.

BNSF transports Boeing 737 fuselages from the Wichita, Kansas plant to Renton, Washington.Steve Wilhelm, [http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2013/02/11/bnsf-railway-adding-cars-to-meet.html?page=all BNSF adding rail cars to meet Boeing 737 transport demand], Puget Sound Business Journal, Updated: February 11, 2013

{{Infobox company

| name = BNSF Railway Company

| foundation = December 31, 1996, as Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway

| revenue = {{increase}}US$25.888 billion (2022){{Cite web |title=BNSF Railway Company 2022 10-K |url=https://www.bnsf.com/about-bnsf/financial-information/pdf/10k-llc-2022.pdf}}

| operating_income = {{increase}}US8.6 billion (2022)

| net_income = {{increase}}US$5.496 billion (2022)

| assets = {{increase}}US$92.611 billion (2022)

| equity = {{increase}}US$47.236 billion (2022)

| num_employees = {{decrease}} 36,250 (Dec 2022)

| parent = Berkshire Hathaway

| key_people = Kathryn Farmer (president and CEO)

}}

File:BNSF 7402 Greenwood, NE 10-19-14 2.jpg fuselages at Greenwood, Nebraska, in October 2014]]

File:BNSF 5350 20040808 Prairie du Chien WI.jpg equipment in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, August 8, 2004. The lead unit is painted in the Heritage II scheme.]]BNSF Railway directly owns and operates track in 28 U.S. states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The railway also operates a small amount of track in Canada, including an approximate {{convert|30|mi|adj=mid}} section that runs from the U.S.–Canada border to Vancouver, British Columbia, some tracks and a yard in Winnipeg, Manitoba, approximately {{convert|70|mi}} of joint track with the Canadian National Railway, which runs south to the U.S. border at Emerson, Manitoba, and less than a kilometer of trackage at the border in Northgate, Saskatchewan.

For administrative purposes, BNSF is divided into two regions and ten operating divisions. The North Region includes the Montana, Northwest, Twin Cities, Heartland and Powder River divisions. The South Region includes the Red River, California, Chicago, Kansas and Southwest divisions. Each division is further divided into subdivisions, which represent segments of track ranging from {{convert|300|mi|adj=mid}} mainlines to {{convert|10|mi|adj=mid}} 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 {{convert|24000|mi}} of track. When these additional tracks are counted, the length of track which the railway directly controls rises to more than {{convert|50000|mi}}.

Additionally, BNSF Railway has gained trackage rights on more than {{convert|8000|mi}} of track throughout the United States and Canada. These rights 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.

File:BNSF 880362, Glen Haven, WI, 2006-06-03.jpg passing Glen Haven, Wisconsin, shows the new corporate logo on June 3, 2006]]

BNSF operates various facilities all over the United States, plus 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 dispatching centers.

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 Argentine Yard in Kansas City, 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.

On October 1, 2022, BNSF Railway announced plans to construct a $1.5 billion state of the art master planned rail facility in Southern California, the first such facility developed by a Class I railroad. The Barstow International Gateway, encompassing approximately 4,500 acres (1,800 ha, 7.0 sq mi), an integrated rail facility, will be located on the west side of Barstow, California. This new facility, when built, will enable more efficient rail operations from the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach to trains for transport through the Alameda Corridor onto the BNSF mainline to the new facility, and then move across the nation on the eastbound BNSF route network.{{Cite web |title=BNSF Railway to build new state-of-the-art-rail facility in Barstow, California |url=https://bnsfcalifornia.com/barstow-international-gateway-project/ |access-date=October 5, 2022 |website=bnsf.com}}{{Cite web |date=October 3, 2022 |title=BNSF Railway to build integrated rail facility in Barstow, California |url=https://railway-news.com/barstow-southern-california-to-get-new-bnsf-integrated-rail-facility/ |access-date=October 22, 2022 |website=railway-news.com}}

In June 2024, BNSF Railway announced plans to develop the Surprise Intermodal/Logistics Center, a regional rail-served facility near Phoenix, Arizona. The planned site is located in northwest Maricopa County and will cover 4,321 acres (1,749 ha) of land. The facility consists of three distinct, interrelated components:

• An intermodal facility on 1,770 acres (716 ha), which will provide a transfer hub for rail shipments by containers and trailers.
• A logistics park on 1,420 acres (575 ha), which will provide sites for warehouse and distribution facilities.
• A logistics center on 1,131 acres (458 ha), providing direct-rail-serviced sites for local industry.{{cite web|url=https://bnsf.com/news-media/index.page|title=Newsroom, June 18, 2024:BNSF Railway to Develop New Master Plan Logistics Hub in Phoenix|website=bnsf.com|accessdate= July 9, 2024}}

File:Rail switchyard at Pasco.jpg

Large freight car hump yards are located throughout the BNSF system.{{Cite web |last=BNSF Railway |date=October 4, 2021 |title=BNSF Hump Yards |url=https://www.bnsf.com/news-media/railtalk/service/hump-yards.html}}

• Barstow, California – Barstow Yard
• Galesburg, Illinois – Galesburg Yard
• Kansas City, Kansas – Argentine Yard
• Lincoln, Nebraska – Hobson Yard
• Memphis, Tennessee – Tennessee Yard
• Minneapolis, Minnesota – Northtown Yard
• Pasco, Washington – Pasco Yard
• Tulsa, Oklahoma – Cherokee Yard

File:BNSF 1524 Lincoln, NE 10-19-14.jpg (EMD) yard-switching engine at Hobson Yard in Lincoln, Nebraska. This is EMD GP28-2 (GP28M) low emissions BNSF H4 1524.]]

Location of some intermodal yards:

• Cicero, Illinois – Chicago Cicero{{Cite web |title=BNSF Chicago (Cicero) |url=https://midamericafreight.org/index.php/rfs/network-inventory/rail/intermodal-facilities/bnsf-chicago-cicero/}}
• Chicago, Illinois – Corwith Intermodal Facility
• Commerce, California
• Edgerton, Kansas – Logistics Park Kansas City{{Cite web |last=Rob Roberts |date=October 17, 2013 |title=BNSF CEO: 'Warren Bucks' build freight mode of future |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2013/10/17/bnsf-ceo-warren-bucks-building.html |access-date=September 6, 2020}}

• Elwood, Illinois – Logistics Park Chicago{{Cite web |date=January 2020 |title=BNSF Logistics Park, Chicago |url=https://porteconomicsmanagement.org/?page_id=710}}
• Hodgkins, Illinois – Willow Springs Intermodal Facility
• Haslet, Texas – Alliance Yard
• Los Angeles, California – Hobart Yard
• Memphis, Tennessee
• Oakland, California – Oakland International Gateway
• Omaha, Nebraska - Gibson Yard
• Seattle, Washington – Seattle International Gateway (SIG) Intermodal Facility

• The Northern Transcon runs between Seattle and Chicago. The route is a combination of parts of the old Great Northern, the Northern Pacific, and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway.
• The Southern Transcon runs between Los Angeles and Chicago. The 2006 BNSF Annual Report states: "We also added about {{convert|33|mile|km}} of second main track on our main line between Chicago and Los Angeles. All but {{convert|51|mi}} of this high-volume {{convert|2200|mi|adj=mid}} 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 to Wichita to Newton to Emporia for primarily eastbound traffic; Emporia to El Dorado to Augusta to Mulvane for primarily westbound traffic. In 2008, BNSF completed nearly {{convert|16|mi|spell=in}} 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 {{convert|1.7|e6cuyd|abbr=off}} 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 {{convert|2200|mi|km}} Transcontinental Corridor between Southern California and Chicago will have only about {{convert|30|mi|km}} of single track."{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}
• The Powder River Basin supplies forty percent of the coal in the United States. The 2008 BNSF Annual Report states that the quadruple track project was completed.

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.{{Cite web |title=BNSF Subdivision Map |url=http://www.bnsf.com/ship-with-bnsf/maps-and-shipping-locations/pdf/subdivisions-map.pdf |access-date=August 3, 2018 |website=BNSF Railway}} 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.

File:BNSF 5696 pulling Metrolink into East Ventura station 2016-03-25.jpg train in the aftermath of the 2015 Oxnard train derailment ]]

BNSF directly operates the BNSF Railway Line for Metra in Chicago and the Sounder in the Puget Sound Region using BNSF-supplied crews in addition to running over its rails.{{cite news |last=Wisniewski |first=Mary |date=December 13, 2018 |title=Service on Metra's BNSF line getting better, but more work needed, officials say |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2018/08/15/service-on-metras-bnsf-line-getting-better-but-more-work-needed-officials-say/ |work=Chicago Tribune |accessdate=January 19, 2025}}{{cite news |last1=Lindblom |first1=Mike |last2=Willmsen |first2=Christine |date=December 21, 2017 |title=Speed control faces challenges, slowly gets rolling on Sounder trains |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/speed-control-slow-to-take-root-on-sounder-train-routes/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 19, 2025}} Metra's fleet includes cars originally purchased by BNSF predecessor Chicago Burlington & Quincy with letterboards above the doors; some have the restored "BURLINGTON" lettering, while others read "BNSF Railway". Other Metra cars assigned to BNSF have the BNSF "swoosh" logo next to the door.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

The company's network also hosts other commuter trains, including Metrolink in Southern California and the Northstar Line in Minneapolis.{{cite press release |date=November 2, 2022 |title=Taking riders off the road and onto rail: BNSF operates trains for passenger rail services |url=https://www.bnsf.com/news-media/railtalk/service/suburban-services.html |publisher=BNSF Railway |accessdate=January 19, 2025}} The line used by New Mexico Rail Runner Express was sold in 2005 to the state of New Mexico, but BNSF retained all freight rights on the line and operates freight trains as needed.{{cite news |last=Cotey |first=Angela |date=July 5, 2006 |title=New Mexico Rail Runner Express |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/new-mexico-rail-runner-express/ |work=Trains |accessdate=January 19, 2025}} Amtrak routes that use BNSF rails include 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.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

After the 2015 Oxnard train derailment, BNSF loaned 40 of their AC4400CWs to Metrolink while their Rotem cab cars received upgrades. These 40 units were converted to PTC. The locomotives have since been returned after the cab cars went back into service.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Although it does not have a steam program like the Union Pacific, the BNSF has allowed for the Southern Pacific 4449, St. Louis–San Francisco 1522, Santa Fe 3751, Santa Fe 2926, Spokane, Portland and Seattle 700 and Milwaukee Road 261 steam locomotives to operate excursions over their rails.

BNSF has received E.H. Harriman Award for safety multiple times. But a number of accidents and incidents have occurred on the railway since its inception.{{Citation needed|date=December 2019}}

As one of the leading supporters of the Operation Lifesaver program to promote safety at railway crossings and rights-of-way, BNSF Railway established a grade-crossing closure program in 2000. 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. 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 in contravention of provisions of the Federal Railroad Safety Act protecting whistleblowers after they revealed workplace injuries at the terminal in Havre, Montana.{{Cite web |date=April 23, 2014 |title=Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway ordered by US Department of Labor's OSHA to pay more than $526,000 to terminated workers |url=https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=26013 |publisher=Occupational Health & Safety Administration, US Department of Labour}}

In August 2016, a "huge number" of used hypodermic drug needles were found along a BNSF railroad bridge between the University Park and St. Johns neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon, that had become an encampment for the homeless. According to a conductor: "Pretty much see people down there at all hours of the night. We report them, but nobody does anything."{{Cite news |last=Acker |first=Lizzy |date=August 17, 2016 |title=Numerous used hypodermic needles found in University Park |work=The Oregonian |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2016/08/numerous_used_hypodermic_needl.html |access-date=December 29, 2019}}

In March 2024, BNSF furloughed 360 mechanical workers, a small fraction of the railroad's 37,000 employees, but enough to elicit a condemning letter from the Transportation Trades Department labor coalition calling on the Federal Railroad Administrator to increase inspections. The unions maintain that these cuts will make it difficult for BNSF to finish needed repairs and inspections of its rolling stock.{{Cite web |date=March 1, 2024 |title=Latest freight railroad layoffs and Wall Street pressure renew concerns about safety and service |url=https://apnews.com/article/railroads-cost-cutting-wall-street-regulators-investors-c7f017fefbeb8444822269b0df801de4 |access-date=March 13, 2024 |website=AP News |language=en}} In a letter dated March 2024 sent to the FRA, the Shop Craft Unions at BNSF urged the Administration look at "safety and maintenance issues" in the railroad industry, presenting evidence of a 41% decrease in repair and maintenance departments since 2015. BNSF shippers complain that shipments to the northwestern U.S. have seen delays, most citing lack of enough crew as the reason. They also complained of high rates for secondary shuttle freight.{{cite web |last1=Kenn |first1=Mary |title=Are Railroad Layoffs Compromising Safety and Service? |url=https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/columns/cash-market-moves/article/2024/03/11/railroad-layoffs-compromising-safety |website=DTN Progressive Farmer |date=April 2, 2024}}

In 2023, the FRA issued a safety culture report on BNSF. Regulators looked at ten areas of safety, including leadership, continuous learning, and how well safety is prioritized over other demands. The report said that BNSF is working toward a better safety culture but that it still needs to improve, particularly in communication and trust between management and employees.{{Cite web |date=August 26, 2024 |title=BNSF Railway Safety Culture Assessment Report |url=https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/2024-08/BNSF_Safety_Cultural_Report_8.26.24.pdf |access-date=October 10, 2024 |website=U.S. Federal Railroad Administration}}

One of the report's findings concerned the difference between what BNSF leadership says about safety and how employees experience it. Some employees felt that safety sometimes takes a back seat to getting the job done, especially with mid-level managers. The report said that safety issues are not always handled the same way across the company, and that some employees felt that safety concerns were not addressed fairly. It also noted positive steps, like BNSF's investment in safety training and efforts to promote ongoing learning.

The report gave several recommendations to help BNSF improve its safety culture, including better communication, building more trust between workers and management, and making sure safety is always the top priority. The FRA plans to monitor how BNSF responds to these recommendations.

According to the 2007 BNSF Annual Report, at the end of 2007 the railway had more than 40,000 employees; 6,400 locomotives (8,359 as of 2018); and 85,338 freight cars (72,369 as of 2018).

• 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
• 81 private/business cars
• 324 "other" types of cars
• In addition, the railroad also owned:
• 3,253 domestic containers
• 11,714 domestic chassis (Swap body) (?)
• 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 US$2.4 billion program of infrastructure upgrades for 2006. The upgrade program includes: double- and triple-tracking {{convert|40|mi|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 {{convert|50|mi|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.{{Cite press release |title=BNSF Announces $2.4 Billion Capital Commitment Program for 2006; About $400 Million Again Slated for Track/Facilities Expansion |date=January 24, 2006 |url=http://www.bnsf.com/media/news/articles/2006/01/2006-01-24a.html |access-date=January 30, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205122703/http://bnsf.com/media/news/articles/2006/01/2006-01-24a.html |archive-date=February 5, 2010}} In March 2008, the railroad was completing the triple-tracking of Cajon Pass in California, creating four tracks through the pass—three BNSF (former Santa Fe and newly installed) and one Union Pacific (former Southern Pacific).

{{Undue weight section|date=April 2024}}

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.

Many locomotives retain their original paint schemes, but this is gradually changing, as these units are now either being retired, or rebuilt and repainted in the Heritage III and Heritage IV schemes, respectively.

{{Gallery

|title= Common locomotive paint schemes

|align= center

|width=180 | height=130

|File:BNSF 726 GE C44-9W.jpg|BNSF Warbonnet

|File:BNSF 577 Lincoln, NE 10-19-14.jpg|ATSF “Yellowbonnet” with Santa Fe lettering, also lettered for BNSF

|File:BNSF 2831 GP39M train.jpg|BN "Cascade Green" scheme lettered for BNSF

|File:BNSF 9819 EMD SD70MAC.jpg|BN "Grinstein" Executive scheme lettered for BNSF

|File:BNSF 2958 EMD GP39-2 Stockton.jpg|Heritage I or H1|File:BNSF Dash 9-44CW 5518.jpg|Heritage II or H2

|File:BNSF 5824 GE ES44AC.jpg|Heritage III or H3

|file:BNSF 2273 Lincoln, NE 3-13-14.jpg| Heritage IV or H4

}}

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. It was nicknamed the "vomit bonnet" by railfans. "BNSF" replaced "SANTA FE" on the front of the unit, and "Burlington Northern Santa Fe" was painted on the side.Kevin P. Keefe and Steve Glischinski, Meanwhile, back in Fort Worth..., Trains, November 1995, pp. 18-18A The locomotive has since been repainted into the standard Heritage III livery.

File:Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway logo.png

By January 1996, BNSF had begun painting locomotives originally ordered for BN and ATSF patched with “BNSF” on the front and sides.Burlington Northern Santa Fe: A gradual change of image, Trains, April 1996, p. 17 Then, in late May, the company introduced a new design on BN SD60M 9297, 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 the Santa Fe cross. Some of the striping details were different on each side,Steve Glischinski, It's 'all in the family' with the latest BNSF locomotive paint scheme, Trains, August 1996, pp. 16–17 and employees voted for the simpler right-side design, which, with some minor changes, became the new scheme,News Photos, Trains, October 1996, p. 28 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 frontRailroad News, Trains, October 1997, pp. 30–31) remained alongside the new Heritage I scheme.Michael W. Blaszak, BNSF strives for an effective blend, Trains, April 1997, p. 43

On January 24, 2005, as part of its tenth-anniversary celebration, the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway was renamed BNSF Railway and adopted a new logo.[http://www.bnsf.com/media/news/articles/2005/01/2005_01_24a.html BNSF Adopts New Corporate and Subsidiary Logos and Changes Name of Railway Subsidiary as Part of Tenth Anniversary Celebration] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051129182244/http://www.bnsf.com/media/news/articles/2005/01/2005_01_24a.html |date=November 29, 2005 }}, January 24, 2005 By March, the logo had been applied to the sides and fronts of six ES44DCs,Front-runner for new BNSF image, Trains, June 2005, p. 20 and on April 11, BNSF officially chose the design it had applied to No. 7701.BNSF selects new livery; is it "Heritage III"?, Trains, July 2005, p. 25 The New Image scheme is also referred to as Heritage III.Another BNSF "one of a kind?", Trains, August 2005, p. 25

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, with black instead of dark green, and the current BNSF logo.

{{wide image|BNSF train crosses bridge west of Luverne, North Dakota.jpg|1000px|A BNSF train crosses Lake Ashtabula on the Sheyenne River west of Luverne, North Dakota. The {{convert|2736|ft|m|abbr=on}} Sheyenne River Bridge was erected in 1912 by the Great Northern Railway.{{Cite web |date=July 22, 2013 |title=BNSF – Sheyenne River Bridge |url=http://bridgehunter.com/nd/griggs/bnsf-sheyenne-river/ |publisher=Bridgehunter.com}} The North Country Trail, a {{convert|4600|mi|km|abbr=on}} recreational trail, passes beneath the bridge.{{Cite web |title=Lake Ashtabula Segment |url=http://www.northcountrytrail.org/srv/trails.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811085322/http://www.northcountrytrail.org/srv/trails.php |archive-date=August 11, 2015 |access-date=August 1, 2015 |publisher=North County Trail Association – Sheyenne River Valley Chapter}}}}

In 2015, BNSF was sued by the Swinomish Tribe in Washington state for violating the terms of a 1991 easement agreement between BNSF and the tribe that allows trains crossing the Swinomish Reservation to carry no more than 25 cars per day, with the tribe alleging that BNSF was running trains with four times as many cars as permitted under the easement agreement.{{Cite web |last=Breda |first=Isabella |date=March 27, 2023 |title=Judge rules BNSF intentionally violated terms of easement with Swinomish tribe |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/judge-rules-bnsf-intentionally-violated-terms-of-easement-with-swinomish-tribe/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240430191943/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/judge-rules-bnsf-intentionally-violated-terms-of-easement-with-swinomish-tribe/ |archive-date=April 30, 2024 |access-date=June 25, 2024 |website=The Seattle Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=March 28, 2023 |title=Judge: BNSF intentionally violated Swinomish tribe agreement |url=https://apnews.com/article/bnsf-railroad-swinomish-tribe-lawsuit-judge-ruling-519a7f5bd4ecf25a4b194f5c035fd7b4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240618001340/https://apnews.com/article/bnsf-railroad-swinomish-tribe-lawsuit-judge-ruling-519a7f5bd4ecf25a4b194f5c035fd7b4 |archive-date=June 18, 2024 |access-date=June 25, 2024 |website=AP News |language=en}} In 2023, US District Court Judge Robert Lasnik ruled that BNSF "willfully, consciously and knowingly exceeded the limitations on its right of access" from September 2012 to May 2021 "in pursuit of profits," finding that BNSF made a unilateral decision to increase the number of trains and cars crossing the reservation without the tribe's consent. In June 2024, Lasnik ordered BNSF to pay $400 million to the tribe, after holding a four-day trial to determine how much in what Lasnik termed "ill-gotten" profit BNSF made by trespassing on the Swinomish Reservation from 2012 to 2021.{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Gene |date=June 17, 2024 |title=Judge orders railway to pay Washington tribe nearly $400 million for trespassing with oil trains |url=https://apnews.com/article/swinomish-tribe-oil-train-trespassing-779e51b8abc5970580ff940655f55288 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240618005432/https://apnews.com/article/swinomish-tribe-oil-train-trespassing-779e51b8abc5970580ff940655f55288 |archive-date=June 18, 2024 |access-date=June 25, 2024 |website=AP News |language=en}}

In 2023, two wildlife protection organizations, WildEarth Guardians and the Western Watershed Project, brought legal action against BNSF for ignoring the Endangered Species Act and not attempting to diminish the number of grizzly bears allegedly killed by trains in Montana since 2008. The groups maintain the company has been responsible for the deaths of 63 bears in that time. BNSF has applied to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service for a permit that would eliminate any penalty to the railroad for killing bears. According to the plaintiffs, the U.S. government never issued the permit and therefore the BNSF is liable.{{cite news |last1=Ehrlick |first1=Darrell |date=December 14, 2023 |title=UPDATED: Wildlife groups sue BNSF for grizzlies being killed by trains without safety measures |url=https://dailymontanan.com/2023/12/14/wildlife-groups-sue-bnsf-for-grizzlies-being-killed-by-trains-without-safety-measures/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240429003714/https://dailymontanan.com/2023/12/14/wildlife-groups-sue-bnsf-for-grizzlies-being-killed-by-trains-without-safety-measures/ |archive-date=April 29, 2024 |work=Daily Montanan}}

• 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

{{Portal bar|Trains|Companies}}

{{reflist}}

• BNSF Railway (January 24, 2005), [https://web.archive.org/web/20051122120538/http://www.bnsf.com/employees/communications/bnsf_today/2005/01/2005-01-24-b2.html 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), [https://web.archive.org/web/20050305100546/http://www.bnsf.com/news/articles/2005/02/2005_02_09a.html?index=%2Fnews%2Findex.html Port of Los Angeles begins discussions with BNSF Railway Company on new intermodal facility]. Retrieved February 10, 2005.

{{Commons category}}

• {{Official website}}
• [http://www.secdatabase.com/CIK/15511/Company-Name/BNSF-RAILWAY-CO BNSF Railway SEC Filings]

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