As a leader in railroad safety, we recognize that a safe and secure railroad network is important to our stakeholders and essential to our nation’s future. The accident rate for U.S. railroads is significantly lower than that for the trucking industry and are some of the lowest in the transportation industry overall.
Our vision is to operate free of accidents and injuries, and every day we work to make that vision a reality through safety programs, training and technology.
BNSF Safety Vision
We are industry leaders in safety. Our grade crossing incident rate has consistently been the lowest among major railroads. We are also a leader in developing new technology to improve the safety of our operations.
We believe every accident or injury is preventable. We work to achieve that vision by:
BNSF’s Bridge Management Program includes comprehensive inspections and an ongoing commitment to maintaining and repairing and, when necessary, replacing, rail bridges on the BNSF network.
Railroads carry some hazardous freight and it is of the utmost importance for our customers, the communities through which we operate and our employees that we handle these shipments safely.
To help ensure the safety of our track and bridges, most of our key routes are inspected at least four times a week, which is twice the frequency required by the FRA.
We put a tremendous emphasis on a collaborative approach to safety.
The Police team is the law enforcement division of the Resource Protection team. Railroad police are provided police authority from state and local governments and are authorized interstate authority by the federal government.
Our network includes just over 25,800 grade crossings. Promoting grade-crossing safety is an essential part of our operation and culture.
As one of the largest rail transportation companies in the U.S., we at BNSF understand that we have a responsibility to do everything we can to operate safely.
BNSF has made a significant investment in safety and technical training for employees.
Here’s what you need to know when visiting a BNSF facility.
The train whistle, or horn, is an important part of our safety practices.