By William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief, Railway Age Magazine; March 17, 2019
BNSF is engaged in service recovery efforts in multiple areas across its network in the northern and central Plains following another major winter storm. Blizzard conditions, with wind gusts to near 70 mph in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota have caused significant train delays since March 14. With the temperature rising, BNSF is now confronting major flooding issues in the region, particularly in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa, as multiple subdivisions are currently out of service due to track washouts.
“With heavy rain and warmer temperatures from the storm accelerating recent snowmelt in the Missouri River Valley, as well as contributing to ice jams on area rivers, historic flooding has resulted in many locations,” BNSF noted. “Thousands have been evacuated from low-lying areas as water levels continue to rise.”