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BNSF Railway Co. recently completed additional track improvements on the line it shares with Union Pacific Railroad in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin. BNSF has been upgrading and rehabilitating the joint line since mid-May, when heavy rains damaged track.

In Shawnee Junction, where BNSF’s and UP’s lines split from the joint line, BNSF realigned track, replaced turnouts and upgraded signal systems to enable both railroads to double train speed to 50 mph. BNSF crews also eliminated 465 rail joints — about two-thirds of the joint line’s total — to prevent joint-related accidents during winter.

Next month, BNSF plans to complete a six-day joint elimination project, and finish undercutting 70 miles of track and rehabilitating 56 turnouts.