Did BNSF overtake Union Pacific as the largest RR in the U.S.?

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

I was browsing around and could not help but notice and wonder. Did BNSF secretly become the largest railroad in the U.S.?

BNSF is pulling in the most revenue . I do not have an exact figure about total miles of track. Both of the company websites post a 32,000 mile network, but I have found specifics that BNSF has about 100 more miles of track than UP. Of course I am not sure about this.

2

That link is to an AAR statistics webpage, which shows that for 2009 BNSF had $14,124 Million in Operating Revenue, as compared with UP’s $14,117 - a razor-thin difference of $7 million or about 0.05%. [ [:-,] I know - if that amount is so ‘small’, then you’ll be quite willing to take it instead of BNSF - right ? [swg] ] More seriously, that’s so small of a margin that any number of factors affecting one road or the other could easily change that differential amount and rearrange those rankings pretty quickly.

The R-1 Reports to the STB for 2009 (the latest that are available on its webite as of today) shows UP operating 43,172 miles, per the Line 6 - TOTAL of Schedule 720. TRACK AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS (pg. 85), but BNSF’s equivalent is only 39,880 miles - see:

http://www.stb.dot.gov/econdata.nsf/f039526076cc0f8e8525660b006870c9/a3283692f833ce8f852577030060f7d3/$FILE/UPRR%202009%20R-1%20Corrections.pdf

and

http://www.stb.dot.gov/econdata.nsf/f039526076cc0f8e8525660b006870c9/4e5f07db852df4e78525770300603a5c/$FILE/BNSF%20Railway%20Company%202009%20R-1.pdf

However, per Table 700. - MILEAGE OPERATED AT CLOSE END OF YEAR (pg. 74), the line 57 TOTAL/ Grand Total/ Total is 50,885 miles for UP, but only 50,027 miles for BNSF - see, respectively:

http://www.stb.dot.gov/econdata.nsf/f039526076cc0f8e8525660b006870c9/a3283692f833ce8f852577030060f7d3/$FILE/UP%202009%20R-1.pdf

3

Paul,

Thanks for the info. The thing is I have a friendly beat going with a few friends in which I said BNSF would become the largest railroad in the U.S. within 5 years of Buffet buying it and being the only boss the company has to answer to. [:)]

4

it will ebb and flow back and forth for some time. Consider that as UP continues to add capacity in the Sunset corridor, and add other projects, it will grow. Pricing will add to the competition between the two western carriers as far as revenues. You can see this as coal contracts go to and fro between UP and BN.

And unless another merger takes place, or massive expansion I don’t see this changing.

5

PDN: Is that figure track miles or route miles? I assume it is track miles. But there are a lot of variables

  1. Do the figures include trackage rights? Or even Haulage rights?

  2. Are they counting joit useage tracks suck as the Powder river coal route, Colorado joint line, Cajon routes and etc?

Other items that may be considered in figuring who is largest…

  1. Ton miles

  2. Loco fleets

  3. Number of each type of cars. Definitely room there for one to be adhead of other in some category.

  4. Average age of rail, cars, locos, etc

  5. Book values

  6. of employees

  7. miles of slow orders ---- average posted track speed

10 average train speed

  1. Car dwell time

  2. and many more items that others will post…??

So all in all the 2 RRs are so close that there is no way IMHO to call one larger than the other.

6

When I was watching the “freight trains” episode of Modern Marvels, Union Pacific was “dubbed” as the largest railroad in North America. How many factors were considered in giving UP that title I really can not say.

7

There are so many ways to guage here: route miles, track miles, gross tonnage, number of employees, number of cars, number of locomtives, gross revenues, net revenues, return on investment, operation ratio, value of assetts, number of customers, number of markets; and the list goes on. The only thing that remains virtually the same on most railroads in the USA is that the rails are placed 4 feet 8 and 1/2 inches apart.