FORT WORTH, Texas – BNSF Railway has opened two new sections of main line trackage on the Southern Transcon: A third main track on the Needles Subdivision in California and a second main track on the Emporia Subdivision in Kansas.
Last week BNSF opened an additional 8-mile segment of the third main between Homer and Ibis, Calif. The first 10-mile section of the triple-track project was placed in service last year before peak intermodal season began.
The 30-mile capacity expansion project on the Needles Sub – which will allow slower freights to stay out of the way of priority traffic on the westbound 1.4% grade between Needles and Goffs – should be wrapped up this year between West Needles and West Ibis, BNSF says.
In Kansas, BNSF last month completed a 6-mile segment of second mainline track in south-central Kansas on the Emporia Sub, which runs from Kansas City to Wellington. This work is part of a multi-year effort to add several segments of double track to support growth, BNSF says.
