BNSF
BNSF and contractor Kraemer North America crews recently spent two weekends replacing a 350 foot-long, double-track concrete beam bridge with new steel beams and track panels on the Southern Transcon, which connects the West Coast with the Midwest and beyond.
Given 60-hour windows over both weekends, the teams worked “round-the-clock” shifts near Fenner, Calif.—about 100 miles west of the Arizona border—and completed the work “slightly ahead of schedule,” the Class I reported via social media on Feb. 25. The new bridge, it noted, was replaced in two phases, one track at time, allowing about 150 trains to keep moving on the opposite track.
The remote location made the work challenging, according to BNSF Director of Bridge Construction Mike Herzog, but now that it’s completed, the new bridge will help keep intermodal trains moving “for generations to come,” the railroad reported in its LinkedIn, X, and Facebook posts.
“Shout out to all the crews, BNSF’s project manager Tim Fanning and contractor Kraemer North America for helping to keep the U.S. supply chain moving!” the railroad said.
Separately, BNSF recently released its fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 financial and operating results.
UP
More than 300 UP train dispatchers—considered the “backbone” of rail operations—earned a 2024 Guardian Award “for their vital role in helping keep employees, customers and communities safe,” UP reported Feb. 25 in the Inside Track section of its website. Five of those honorees have achieved the recognition for 25 consecutive years: Ron Miller, Brian Withers and Jason Lannon of the Harriman Dispatching Center (HDC) in Omaha, Neb., and Dan Limbaugh and Eric Howard of the Spring Dispatching Center, a satellite location in Texas.
The HDC serves as UP’s rail traffic control hub, overseeing locomotives, train crews and dispatching operations across the entire 23-state, 32,000-plus-track-mile network. “Dispatchers in this fast-paced environment must exhibit exceptional leadership, communication and critical thinking skills to ensure seamless operations,” UP said.
According to Erin Batt, Vice President-HDC and Network Planning and Operations at UP and a 2021 Railway Age “Fast Tracker,” the Guardian Award “gets its name because Union Pacific train dispatchers are the railroad’s protectors.” She said the award “recognizes their essential contributions to keeping our operations safe.”
“Receiving this award makes me reflect on our constant, collective commitment to maintaining a safe work environment,” Dan Limbaugh said. “It’s a team effort, both in the dispatching office and out in the field.”
“As dispatchers, we make hundreds—sometimes thousands—of safety-driven decisions every day,” Ron Miller added. “The Guardian Award represents how those small wins add up. Nothing is more important than ensuring our co-workers go home safe.”
Jason Lannon echoed this sentiment, commenting, “I’ve been blessed to work with amazing crews, fellow dispatchers, corridor managers, managers of centralized train dispatching and support staff. This award reflects our shared dedication to safety.”
“It’s caring about not only our co-workers, but also everyone they have counting on them at home,” Brian Withers noted. “By being diligent, focused, and a ‘guardian’ for everyone, we can all go home to our loved ones.”
In related news, UP recently reported that the Pacific Northwest team and Heartland service unit earned Safety Bells. Separately, BNSF has announced the winners of its Safety Bells.
