BNSF budgets $125 million for Oklahoma capex projects

BNSF Railway Co. yesterday shared plans for 2013 capital improvement projects in an eighth state. The Class I has budgeted $125 million for track maintenance and capacity expansion projects in Oklahoma.

Capacity projects include the construction of 3.5 miles of new second main track between Sequoyah and DeGroat, and a new siding near Camp; siding extensions near Morrison and Mannford; a new bypass connection at Cherokee yard in Tulsa for lines to Avard and Springfield, Mo.; a new connection track in Avard between a line to Tulsa and BNSF's Transcon route between Chicago and the Southwest; and a bridge replacement near Ponca City.

Track maintenance work calls for surfacing and/or undercutting more than 2,200 miles of track, replacing 60 miles of rail and about 225,000 ties, and upgrading signals for positive train control implementation.

"[Our] capital investments in Oklahoma will help ensure our network is prepared for growing demand for freight rail," said BNSF Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Matt Rose in a press release. "We are focused on investing to meet our customers' expectations and on expanding capacity where growth is occurring."

The Oklahoma work is part of BNSF's record-setting $4.3 billion capex program from 2013. Over the past few months, the Class I also has shared breakdowns of planned work in Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Texas and Washington.