BNSF slates $110 million for Oklahoma capex projects

BNSF Railway Co. will spend $110 million this year on network maintenance projects in Oklahoma.

The Class I's Oklahoma capital expenditures program in 2018 will primarily focus on replacing and upgrading rail, ties and ballast, according to a BNSF press release.

Specifically, BNSF will perform track surfacing or undercutting work along 620 miles of track; replace 30 miles of rail and 230,000 ties; and install a new siding near Hopeton.

This year's projects will help ensure the "safe and reliable" movement of freight in Oklahoma, said Janssen Thompson, general manager of operations, Red River Division.

"Each year, BNSF hauls approximately 28,000 carloads of wheat, corn, soybeans and other agricultural products from Oklahoma to domestic markets and to the ports for export," he said. "We also move the fertilizer that helps those crops grow, in addition to consumer products, construction materials and energy products."

Over the past five years, BNSF has spent about $630 million to expand and maintain its network in Oklahoma.