BNSF

LOS ANGELES — Santa Claus and his merry helpers will ride the rails and distribute gifts to hundreds of deserving children on board the 19th annual BNSF Santa Claus Express train as it travels through Southern California beginning Dec. 17 through Dec. 21. Children are selected for the free rides by the Shriner’s Hospital for Crippled Children, Arrowhead United Way, Salvation Army Red Shield Youth and Community Center, Comprehensive Child Development Center, Mexican American Opportunity Foundation, City of Hope Hospital and Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center at Miller Children’s Hospital of Long Beach, among other organizations. BNSF employee volunteers will

BILLINGS, Mont. — The state of Montana is suing BNSF over a 1984 settlement agreement regarding Central Montana Railway (CMR), a wholly owned subsidiary of the state. “The State’s suit primarily deals with issues that have already been before federal courts for the past four years,” BNSF said in a statement. “Many of these issues were resolved in BNSF’s favor by the federal court and arbitration panels. We intend to continue these efforts to demonstrate that our actions are legal, designed to provide Montana producers with rate transparency and protect Montana producers from excessive rail rates.”

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway Co. was recognized last week as a Clean Air Champion by the North Texas Clean Air Coalition. The Working for Clean Air awards publicly recognize civic-minded businesses that have developed internal corporate programs to improve the quality of air, quality of life, and the health of the north Texas community. “BNSF is committed to operating in a way that protects the environment, our employees, our communities and the economy overall,” said Mark Schulze, vice president, Training and Operations Support. “I am proud that BNSF has been recognized for its green efforts at our corporate

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway Co. announced it has reached a tentative agreement with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen to settle wage and work rule matters concerning BNSF’s locomotive engineers for the major round of collective bargaining that will begin Jan. 1, 2010. The agreement will settle wage and work rule issues through Dec. 31, 2014. Health and welfare issues, however, will be addressed in upcoming industry-wide negotiations. BLET will release details of the new agreement to its membership as part of the ratification process. However, the agreement affords a general wage increase in each year of

FORT WORTH, Texas — Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. reported quarterly earnings of $1.42 per diluted share, which included a $0.06 per share impact related to a favorable coal rate case adjustment. This compared to third-quarter 2008 earnings of $1.99 per diluted share. “During the recession, BNSF has demonstrated significant operating leverage through ongoing dedication to controlling costs and productivity improvements,” said Matthew K. Rose, BNSF Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “The combination of our significant operating leverage and long-term market opportunities places BNSF in a strong position when the economy recovers.” Third-quarter 2009 freight revenues decreased $1.28 billion,