(The Associated Press distributed the following article on December 22.)
KALISPELL, Mont. — Burlington Northern Santa Fe has added more than 200 new employees in Montana over the past year, a railroad official said Tuesday.
BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas said the hiring was prompted by increased business nationally, a shortage of truck drivers and better railroad technology.
“The economy is strong and BNSF is taking steps to meet the growing needs of local, national and international customers,” Melonas said in a telephone interview with The Daily Inter Lake.
Train traffic has increased over the last five years from an average of 35 freight trains a day rolling through Whitefish to more than 40 trains a day now, he said.
The new local jobs, most of them based in Whitefish, include 30 engine/conductor positions and 10 track-maintenance positions. More may be added based on future needs, Melonas said.
The average railroad job industrywide pays $60,000 a year, he said.
The Whitefish rail yard employs 235 workers with an annual payroll of $11 million, not including benefits, based on data supplied by the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce.
Outside Flathead County, the railroad has added employees in Havre, Glasgow, Glendive, Great Falls and Cut Bank and has spent $40 million this year to upgrade tracks throughout the state, including the Hi-Line, Melonas said.
“BNSF is aggressively investing in improvements to ensure safety and efficiency.”