BNSF issues first sustainability report based on GRI guidelines

BNSF Railway Co. on Tuesday released its first sustainability report based on the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) G4 guidelines.

The first edition of the GRI report provides information on a range of topics, including stakeholder engagement, economic performance, network reliability and service issues, energy consumption, carbon emissions, land use and property management, emergency preparedness and response, employee recruiting, and philanthropy and community engagement.

For example, the report highlights the Class I's efficiency efforts, such as employing the newest and cleanest locomotive fleet in the nation; installing automatic engine start/stop devices on more than 90 percent of the locomotive fleet to help reduce annual fuel usage; using automated gates at 10 intermodal facilities equipped with digital cameras; and becoming the first U.S. railroad to use wide-span electric cranes at intermodal terminals, BNSF officials said in a press release.

"Our first GRI report reflects BNSF's leadership in making rail more efficient and sustainable than other modes of freight land transportation," said BNSF Vice President of Environmental John Lovenburg.

In the future, BNSF plans to issue GRI reports in the summer. The reports will contain information on the railroad's sustainability efforts in the prior year.