Extreme Winter Weather Impacting BNSF Northern Corridor Operations
Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
Photo courtesy BNSF
FORT WORTH –– The BNSF Northern Transcon is seeing a disruption of operations due to a winter weather blast that has brought temperatures down to 20 degrees below zero.
The National Weather Services describes the weather in the area as follows: “A winter storm will produce heavy snow from the Central Plains into the Great Lakes today and into New England tonight into Friday. A wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain will be south of the snow. Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms will bring concerns for flash flooding and severe weather over parts of the Lower Mississippi Valley and the Southeast.”
BNSF has released a customer service advisory containing the following assessment of the situation: “BNSF is actively addressing service disruptions along parts of our Northern Corridor due to severe winter conditions. The extreme cold affecting the Northern Transcon route through Montana and North Dakota, with temperatures plunging over 20 degrees below zero in some areas overnight, has hindered normal train operations. We have also experienced reduced productivity at terminals in the region due to multiple switch and air flow issues across rail yards. With the Arctic cold, additional locomotives are required to generate proper air flow for trains’ braking systems. Train length restrictions have been implemented to support train braking performance in the impacted areas and will remain in effect until conditions improve. Some trains have been re-routed on a more southerly route to help minimize this disruption as much as possible.
“Additionally, our winter actions plans have been activated and operations teams are strategically positioned to help recovery efforts. While temperatures are expected to gradually rise over the next few days, challenging operating conditions will persist for the next 72 hours and customers should anticipate some delays for shipments destined to move through the region.
“Another winter weather system is expected to bring cold temperatures, snow, and ice to the Central Plains today. Our operations teams are closely monitoring this system and taking necessary actions to minimize any potential service disruptions.” For information on how to contact BNSF, follow this link to the BNSF press release.
