BNSF and train conductors union reach work scheduling deal

In Wellington, Kansas, about 35 miles south of Wichita, the role BNSF and its predecessors played in developing the small city is now recognized through art. At a recent ceremony attended by the community and local leaders, the Heritage Park Sculpture was dedicated. Artist Ursula Goff designed and illustrated the 52-foot sculpture, and metalworker Greg Flickinger brought the design to life in steel, iron and copper. “Wellington is such an important community to the railroad,” Andy Williams, BNSF

To keep freight moving safely and reliably, we look for ways to eliminate service interruptions, and data shows most interruptions occur around switches. A switch changes the direction of a moving train and has several parts, including switch points that move to guide a train onto a different track. The frog is the crossing inside the switch where train wheels pass; traditional frogs have a gap that causes friction and wear and can force trains to slow to 10 mph until the frog is repaired or rep