(BNSF Railway issued the following on January 20, 2009.)
FORT WORTH, Texas — At the end of January, BNSF Railway Company will begin replacing almost 30 track miles of rail and 15,000 railroad ties in its Thayer subdivision between Teed, Mo., and Memphis, Tenn.
“The Thayer project is part of our ongoing effort to maintain a strong railroad to meet our customers’ needs for reliable service,” said Dave Freeman, BNSF’s vice president, Engineering. “Our lines to Memphis through southern Missouri and Arkansas are especially important as they represent a vital link to the southeast for intermodal and coal shipments.”
Almost 250 BNSF employees will work until late April replacing approximately 15,000 ties and 30 track miles of rail at a rate of almost one mile a day. The total cost of this project is about $12.75 million. Crews will utilize equipment such as cranes, welders and ballast tampers to replace rail at a rate of almost one mile a day. Materials replaced on the rail line will be reused or recycled in keeping with BNSF’s environmental stewardship policies.
To allow the BNSF crew time to replace the rail, sections of track will be closed periodically until the work is complete.
About BNSF
A subsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (NYSE: BNI), BNSF Railway Company operates one of the largest North American rail networks, with about 32,000 route miles in 28 states and two Canadian provinces. BNSF is among the world’s top transporters of intermodal traffic, moves more grain than any other American railroad, carries the components of many of the products we depend on daily, and hauls enough low-sulfur coal to generate about ten percent of the electricity produced in the United States. BNSF is an industry leader in Web-enabling a variety of customer transactions at www.bnsf.com.