Stormwater in Urban Areas

Over 100 years ago, many of our railroad bridges were the first elements of infrastructure in several growing urban areas. Increased impervious surfaces due to urbanization surrounding our rail has reduced natural water infiltration upstream, causing increased volumes to drain through our railway. Additionally, we're monitoring for changes in our climate that may cause increased frequency and severity of rain events. As our neighboring communities continue to grow and our system receives significant rainfall, BNSF focuses on adaptation and resilience of our stormwater infrastructure and systems operations. For each new or replacement bridge project, we conduct hydraulic analyses to assess flood impacts and size our bridges, culverts and track elevation appropriately.

Flood Response

In 2025, BNSF crews successfully responded to numerous serious flood events along our network, including in the South and Midwest in April and in the Pacific Northwest in December. In both instances, service was quickly and safely restored in a matter of days. Efforts included replacing an entire washed-out bridge at Mammoth Springs, Arkansas, in five days, a full 18 hours ahead of schedule.

Wildfires

With an increase in wildfire risk both in frequency and severity, our wildfire program has expanded significantly in recent years. Currently, BNSF has more than 50 wildfire response tank cars and infrastructure protection trailers along our network. We remove trees and brush surrounding critical infrastructure to eliminate wildfire fuel, and we have developed Infrastructure Wildfire Protection plans for critical bridges, tunnels and snowsheds.