Coal Network Update for Friday, December 19, 2025
With the holidays fast approaching, this is our last network update in 2025. The bi-weekly reporting schedule will resume in January, with the next Network Update on Friday, January 2, 2026.
Wishing all our customers a safe and joyful holiday season!
Operational Performance
As reported, a persistent weather pattern has impacted the Pacific Northwest and much of the northern tier of the railroad, driven by historic rainfall and flooding over the past nine days. These conditions produced record precipitation, resulting in multiple subdivisions being temporarily taken out of service due to washouts, downed trees, damaged rail and a widespread power outage.
BNSF crews have worked around the clock to restore service to most of the region. Currently, the Sumas Subdivision is the only remaining subdivision out of service and is expected to return to service later today.
Over the past 48 hours, a significant wind event, combined with Arctic air moving east from the Pacific Northwest, has further impacted the Northern Corridor in Montana, northeastern Wyoming and the Upper Midwest, including Minnesota and Wisconsin. Wind gusts exceeded 100 mph in Montana, 85 mph on the Powder River and 70 mph in the Twin Cities, creating ground blizzard conditions in several areas. BNSF crews remain actively engaged and continue to closely monitor conditions, as additional rainfall and mountain snow are forecast across the region.
Our key service metrics reflect the difficult conditions in the north, with reduced car velocity and higher terminal dwell times compared to the previous week. As conditions have periodically stabilized, train velocity has shown measurable improvements over the past few days.
Traffic Impacts in the Kansas City Region Due to Levee Project Starting in January
Beginning Friday, January 2, trains traveling through Kansas City, Kansas, on the Emporia Subdivision may experience intermittent delays due to work supporting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Kansas City Levees Project for the greater Kansas City communities. This multi-year initiative is focused on strengthening the levee and floodwall system to reduce flooding risk from the Kansas and Missouri Rivers.
The final phase of this project consists of two planned work windows that will begin in January at our Argentine Yard near Kansas City, as this long-term project moves toward completion. BNSF operating teams are coordinating closely to manage traffic flows and minimize customer impacts.
Christmas and New Year’s Operating Plan
Coal trains - both loaded and empty - will continue to operate according to regular schedules; however, BNSF plans to minimize the number of yard, local and road-switch assignments at terminals over the holidays consistent with customer activity and volume demand. Connecting carriers who have reduced operations for the holidays may cause delays on interline traffic.
Please click here for more information on the Coal Christmas and New Year’s Operating Plan.
Service Expectations for the Week Ahead
As we move into the weekend, periods of some weather events are expected to continue across portions of the network, including additional rain and mountain snow in the Pacific Northwest and lingering cold and wind impacts across parts of the northern Plains and Upper Midwest. While conditions are expected to vary by region, BNSF operating teams will remain focused on maintaining safe operations where weather impacts persist. We will continue to monitor conditions closely and provide updates as needed.
We thank you for your business and appreciate the opportunity to serve as your transportation service provider. We welcome your feedback and questions.