business backgrounder | industry
Freight rail is an important pillar of Washington’s economy. A new study shows that nearly $1 out of every $10 in the state’s GDP rides the rails.
By the end of 2015, BNSF will have spent more than $50 billion since 2000 on
infrastructure to meet its customers’ growing freight shipment demands. A big
chunk of the money is going to the fast-growing northern region of its 28-state,
32,500-mile rail network.
State-specific spending numbers for 2015 had not been released as of press time,
but in 2014 BNSF spent $235 million in Washington to expand and maintain the state’s
rail system. That’s $110 million more than 2013.
“For us, it’s all about freight movement and getting all the products people use
every day, whether it’s the car you drive, the energy that heats your home, the
food in your refrigerator or the chemicals stored underneath your kitchen sink,
all of that is going to move at some point by rail,” said Courtney Wallace, BNSF’s
regional director of public affairs.
The company’s investment will include adding 330 new locomotives to its fleet of
7,500 and replacing others reaching the end of their useful life. Each locomotive can
carry 1 ton of freight for 500 miles on a single gallon of diesel, Wallace said.
“BNSF has the youngest, most fuel-efficient fleet of locomotives in the country,”
Wallace said.
And among freight rail’s economic impact in Washington is the BNSF workforce. The
company employs 3,500 people in Washington with more than a $250 million payroll.
BNSF has three main east-west routes in Washington, as well as the main north-south
line from Vancouver up to Bellingham. Commuter and passenger trains in the state run
on BNSF lines; the company has passenger agreements with Sounder and Amtrak.
Its tracks transport commuters, its trains carry Washington-grown crops and factory goods built here, and serve as a vital link for the rest of the nation to connect
with Asian markets via Washington’s deep-water ports.
“International trade has long been a cornerstone of our state’s economy,” said Eric
Schinfeld, president of the Washington Council on International Trade. “The report
confirms rail service is critical to maintaining the region’s growing economy and
creating jobs, and we need to take steps to keep this advantage.”
“International trade has long
been a cornerstone of our
state’s economy. The report
confirms rail service is critical
to maintaining the region’s
growing economy and creating
jobs, and we need to take steps
to keep this advantage.”
— Eric Schinfeld,
president of the Washington Council
on International Trade
BNSF:
www.bnsf.com
Freight rail report:
bit.ly/EngineOfProsperity
Washington Council on
International Trade:
www.wcit.org
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