(BNSF Railway issued the following on October 6.)
FORT WORTH, Texas — Beginning Oct. 6, 2008, BNSF Railway Company will replace more than 10 miles of rail on curves between Tiger, Okla., and Racine, Mo. Rail on curved track must be replaced more often than on straight track due to the weight and pressure of modern locomotives and trains. The project is expected to last about 26 days and cost about $2.5 million.
A rail replacement crew of 31 employees will utilize equipment such as cranes, welders and ballast tampers to replace rail at an estimated rate of one half mile a day. To allow the BNSF crew time to replace the rail, sections of track will be closed five hours a day during rail replacement until the work is complete. Materials replaced on the rail line will be reused or recycled in keeping with BNSF’s environmental stewardship policies.
As part of a $2.85 billion capital commitment, BNSF currently expects to spend more than $1.8 billion this year to keep the railway’s infrastructure strong by refreshing track, signal systems, structures, freight cars, and upgrading technologies. Unlike other modes of transportation, BNSF must build and maintain its own tracks, signals and other infrastructure.