BNSF thins chief dispatcher ranks

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway has eliminated 20 chief dispatching positions at its Network Operations Center.

“We consolidated some duties to better reflect the flow of traffic on our network,” railroad spokesman Zak Andersen says. “Those affected will return to their previous roles as dispatchers.”

Separately, BNSF is seeking to extend a crew district on one of its key routes out of the Powder River Basin coal fields. Trains operating between Gillette, Wyo., and Alliance, Neb., currently stop to change crews at Edgemont, S.D.

But BNSF has proposed shifting the Edgemont-based crews to Alliance, according to a report by a South Dakota television station. The move would affect about 100 employees who currently report to Edgemont, population 725.

“It’s going to be devastating for Edgemont,” Mayor Rheta Reagon told KOTA. “It’s a small community already and we have 27 of those 100 employees in the City of Edgemont. And if they decide to leave, it’s going to put a hardship on our little town.”

“BNSF has initiated discussions with local employees and union representatives in Edgemont, S.D., about operational changes necessary to remain a competitive transportation provider on our coal routes,” the railroad told the TV station. “Shifts in market demand require that we adjust operations accordingly.”

BNSF’s 123.8-mile Black Hills Subdivision and 112-mile Butte Sub meet at Edgemont. Crews run south to Alliance and north to Gillette and various Powder River Basin coal mines. The route also carries some merchandise and intermodal traffic. In 2023, an average of 24 trains per day ran through Edgemont, according to the latest Federal Railroad Administration data.