(The following story appeared on The Capital-Journal website on February 26, 2009.)
TOPEKA, Kan. — Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway today furloughed 26 mechanical workers at its heavy-duty overhaul shop in Topeka.
BNSF spokesman Steve Forsberg said 140 employees were furloughed on the entire system due to reduced freight volumes in all classes of rail traffic, with the exception of coal. The indefinite furloughs made today represent about 2 percent of the company’s mechanical workforce.
“Freight is down across the board,” Forsberg said, “particularly to anything related to consumer spending.”
BNSF employs about 1,100 employees at its Topeka locations. The mechanical facility is the only heavy-duty overhaul shop on the company’s network. The railway has about 700 locomotives and roughly 35,000 freight cars in storage because of reduced volumes.
Leon Berens, a carman apprentice at the Topeka shop, said he didn’t know when he would be called back to work.
Chris Roberts, BNSF vice president of Mechanical and Value Engineering, said in a statement that employees would be brought back to work as the economy begins to recover and volumes increase.