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BNSF Railway Asks Rail Fans for Cooperation to Keep America's Rail System Safe

Posted on: Wednesday, 7 June 2006, 12:00 CDT

BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) is recruiting rail fans to help keep BNSF properties safe by reporting suspicious activities and to help prevent possible security breaches.

"Keeping America's rail transportation network safe from crime and terrorist activity is a high priority for the railroad industry," says William Heileman, BNSF general director, Police and Protection Solutions. "Every day across the country, rail fans photograph and watch trains as they pass through communities. It seems natural to harness their interest to help keep America's rail system safe."

Rail fans can register for the program by going to the Citizens United for Rail Security (CRS) Web site (http://newdomino.bnsf.com/website/crs.nsf/request?open). CRS participants will receive an official identification card along with access to news and information on the BNSF CRS Web site.

To report suspicious activity, CRS members and the public can call (800) 832-5452. The information will be taken by a BNSF representative and routed for appropriate response.

"Supporting homeland security in this manner is positive for everyone," says Carl Ice, BNSF's executive vice president and chief operations officer. "It supports the nation's security efforts, improves safety within our company and the community, and improves operations by helping to remove the impact of criminal acts and accidents."

The CRS program is an outgrowth of another BNSF grassroots program, called BNSF ON GUARD, which encourages employees to report suspicious activities, trespassers or individuals to BNSF's Resource Operations Call Center (ROCC). The BNSF ON GUARD program, which started in 2003, has been successful, with more than 200 employees reporting suspicious activities since its inception. Employees have reported theft, vandalism, arson, attempted suicide, and other criminal violations, threats to safety, or unusual events on or near railway properties.

"Security is everyone's business. Because of heightened security status, Americans are being asked to be the 'eyes and ears' for law enforcement," says John Clark, BNSF assistant vice president, Resource Protection Solutions Team. "At BNSF, our police team continues to educate employees on work, personal and home security, as well as working to change employee behavior to increase awareness of security risks."

A subsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (NYSE: BNI), BNSF Railway Company operates one of the largest railroad networks in North America, with about 32,000 route miles in 28 states and two Canadian provinces. BNSF is among the world's top transporters of intermodal traffic, moves more grain than any other American railroad, transports the components of many of the products we depend on daily, and hauls enough low-sulphur coal to generate about ten percent of the electricity produced in the United States. BNSF is an industry leader in Web-enabling a variety of customer transactions at www.bnsf.com.

 Contact: Patrick Hiatte (817) 867-6418  

SOURCE: BNSF Railway Company

Source: MARKET WIRE

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