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BNSF Railway Careers

Being the one of the largest railroads in the country, BNSF Railway careers range from operating the trains themselves to dispatching and management positions. The current railroad was formed through a series of mergers and acquisitions that actually began over 30 years ago in 1970. Today the railroad, like the two that came to form today's system (the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway and Burlington Northern Railroad), is a highly respected and recognized transportation company that consistently ranks at the top of the railroad industry in terms of both quality of service and revenues earned. While the classic Santa Fe formed the railroad's southerly lines Burlington Northern was a culmination of several fabled western/northwestern carriers including the Northern Pacific; Spokane, Portland & Seattle; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Great Northern; and St. Louis-San Francisco.

As one of the seven major Class I railroads operating within North America the BNSF Railway offers a wide array of careers which may interest you. While I am sure many who search this page are interested in the more notable positions, that being either in maintenance or transportation (i.e., the conductor, brakeman, or engineer) there are actually a wide array of other types of jobs available. Some of these other BNSF Railway careers include management positions and other field positions such as signal maintainers. In regards to management positions BNSF is one of many Class Is who offer college internships so if you are interested in management and the railroad industry you may want to check them out.

As the second largest railroad in the country, BNSF Railway operate throughout the West and Deep South. If you are interested in a job with the railroad it operates in the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, New Mexico, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Arizona, California, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington. This is of particular importance if you take a position out in the field, such as in maintenance or transportation. The railroad will assign you to wherever they need which could be in Texas, Washington, or anywhere in between.

In the event you are not aware, to give you a little background regarding what exactly the term "Class I" railroad means, these are the largest companies in the industry and all were formed through mergers over the last roughly 50 years. Aside from BNSF they include Union Pacific, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and Kansas City Southern. For more information about Class I railroads please click here to visit the section of the website which more thoroughly covers the subject.

BNSF Railway careers outside of management/office positions are just like those on all of the other railroads, tough and not exactly for everyone. These include the positions in transportation such as engineer, brakeman, and conductor as well within general maintenance which carries a wide array of specialized tasks. Many of these "in the field" jobs require one to spend long hours away from home and can be hard on one's family life. Perhaps more than any other factor railroaders are constantly fighting fatigue and staying sharp while on the job. So, before you decide on such a position please be sure you are confident it's right for you.

Despite these downsides railroading can also be quite rewarding as it offers excellent pay and benefits along with a very nice retirement. To search for BNSF Railway careers please feel free to use the search box below from Indeed.com, one of the leading online career resource guides. Lastly, for more information about BNSF Railway careers please click here to visit the company's official careers page on their website which includes information about available jobs, internships, and other related topics.

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Lastly, if a career in railroading is right for you but you would like to learn still more about what it takes to work in the industry you might want to consider the book Working on the Railroad from noted author Brian Solomon. Solomon's book details the history of working in the railroad industry and the difficulties and hardship employees faced back then as well as today. After reading this book you should have no doubts about whether working in the industry is something you are truly interested in. In any event, if you're interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit the link below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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