BNSF completing $30 million line expansion

The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company is completing a total of $30 million worth of expansion and construction along the line between Springfield and Memphis, Tenn.

The expansion includes the construction of four new 9,000-foot sidings and three miles of new double-track construction.

The construction is related to the railway's recent completion of a $14 million track-and-bridge maintenance project it worked on between June 15 and June 27. The project was the largest BNSF maintenance project ever planned for a compressed time frame.

The project included the replacement of 14 track miles of steel rail linked by 1,200 Thermit welds to create continuous welded rail.

Approximately 50,000 concrete cross ties and 40,000 wood cross ties were installed, according to a release from BNSF.

The project also involved an additional 600 employees from various parts of

the railroad. The repaired track that originated in Springfield was 250 miles long.

BNSF operates one of the largest railroad networks in North America, with 34,000 route miles of track covering 28 states and two Canadian provinces.