UPDATE: Extreme Winter Weather Impacting Operations

BNSF is confronting a broad range of major service challenges across our network due to ongoing extreme winter operating conditions. An unprecedented winter storm brought record cold temperatures and significant snow deep into Texas and parts of the Gulf Coast this morning. Numerous power outages have been reported as well as road closures, which have affected our ability to move train crews and other personnel. As a result, many trains are currently holding until affected infrastructure has been assessed and operations can safely resume. Customers with shipments designated to move through the region should expect extended delays.

In the North Region, temperatures have remained well below zero for more than a week and have significantly impacted our ability to maintain normal traffic flows. Train lengths have been restricted and additional locomotives have been required to generate proper air flow for trains’ braking systems. Other actions have been taken to maintain service as much as possible. We also continue to experience reduced productivity at terminals in the region due to multiple switch and air flow issues across rail yards.

As this winter storm moves off to the northeast today, another winter storm is currently moving through the Pacific Northwest and then into the southern Plains. An additional round of significant snow and ice is likely across Oklahoma and north Texas during the middle of the week, while temperatures slowly recover to near normal levels across much of the network by the upcoming weekend.

BNSF has activated 24-hour command centers in multiple operating divisions to manage recovery efforts. From Mechanical teams that are working tirelessly to service our locomotive fleet to Engineering teams that are responding to track issues around the clock, we have called up all available resources to help restore normal operations as quickly as possible.

Please contact your BNSF representative or BNSF Customer Support at 888-428-2673 if you have any questions. We appreciate your patience and will continue to provide further updates.