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Crew safety is more than a priority—it’s a tradition, marked each year by the ringing of brass bells once used on historic steam locomotives. The Safety Bell Award celebrates exceptional Operations teams with top-tier safety performance, and we’re proud to recognize the following teams as BNSF’s 2024 Safety Bell honorees: Best Overall Division – California…

Hands-on training ensures first responders are ready for any type of emergency. Recently, BNSF helped organize a large-scale hazardous materials exercise along the Alameda Corridor—a 20-mile freight rail “expressway” connecting Southern California ports with our rail network. The drill simulated train-related hazmat scenarios, bringing together over 200 responders from agencies including the Los Angeles, LA…

At BNSF Railway, protecting the planet isn’t just something we talk about on Earth Day. It’s part of what we do every day. Rail is already the most environmentally friendly way to move freight on land, and we’re proud to lead the way in making it even better. From the ports of Los Angeles, Long…

At BNSF, a lot of the work we do involves solving logistical issues and creating a more efficient network for transporting goods across America. Until recently, the intersection of BNSF’s tracks and Rosecrans-Marquardt in Santa Fe Springs was the most congested railroad crossing in the state. With 45,000 vehicles and 135 trains passing through daily,…

2024 was a year of milestones for BNSF’s Southern California ports. In December, Southern California On-Dock (SCOD) operations surpassed 1.5 million lifts for the year, setting a new annual record. But the record-breaking success didn’t stop there! Throughout 2024, BNSF saw a series of all-time records for monthly lifts at SoCal ports. BNSF celebrates this…

BNSF recently partnered with the city of Corona to address traffic congestion at the McKinley Street intersection, where cars had to stop daily for passing trains. City officials devised a solution to build a suspension bridge that elevates the street over our tracks. The $80 million project, backed by community support and public funding, is…

Safety is in our DNA at BNSF Railway. That’s no more evident than at our busy Hobart and Fresno, California, facilities, which continue to be models for both safety and efficiency. At the Hobart Intermodal facility in Los Angeles, our team of over 300 people handles more than a million lifts each year, continuing their…

Anthony Taravella is living proof that it’s never too late to follow your dreams. At 62, he finally landed his dream job as a BNSF conductor at the Needles Terminal in California. His love for trains began in childhood, sparked by model trains and regular visits to the rail yard in Mount Morris, New York,…

For over 140 years, Barstow, California, has thrived as a key rail hub near the Inland Empire, with the Barstow diesel shop playing a crucial role in keeping BNSF locomotives running smoothly. Since 1947, the shop teams have been essential to keeping our trains on track. When a train arrives, they perform inspections to identify…