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In order to consolidate major rail-car repairs at a single location, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Jan. 18 notified workers at its Topeka, Kan., car shop that the Class I plans to move all major car-repair work to its Havelock shop near Lincoln, Neb., by mid-April.
Per a union contract, BNSF also notified Brotherhood of Railway Carmen that the railroad intends to move the car repair work to Havelock in 90 days.
About 100 carmen would be affected by the relocation; BNSF plans to offer all workers a transfer to the Havelock shop, which was established in 1869.
The change will improve the efficiency of BNSF’s operation, says spokesman Pat Hiatte.
"The changes are … a result of the first phase of an on-going study of the Topeka shops' position in the BNSF shop network in light of changes in business patterns and the economics of equipment repair," he says.
BNSF performs about 70 percent of its major car repairs at the Havelock shop and 10 percent in Topeka; the remaining 20 percent is contracted out.
— Jeff Stagl