(The following story by Steve Cahalan appeared on the La Crosse Tribune website on January 9.)
LA CROSSE, Wisc. — The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Co. has laid off 30 La Crosse-area train crew members because of the reduction in rail shipments caused by the slow economy.
“It’s been happening gradually over a period of weeks, since late last year,” BNSF spokesman Steve Forsberg said Thursday of the La Crosse-area layoffs. As of Monday, 30 local engineers and conductors were on indefinite layoff, he said.
Before the layoffs, the railroad had about 300 employees in the La Crosse area, including more than 200 engineers and conductors, Forsberg said.
BNSF has laid off a number of train crew members at other locations around the nation, he said.
“We don’t know at this time how long the furloughs will last,” Forsberg said, adding that depends on the economy.
Rail shipments of automobiles, housing supplies and consumer goods are down because of the economy, he said.