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BNSF Railway Co. will be the provider of choice for technical training for all short-line employees whose railroads are American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association members, BNSF and ASLRAA announced today at the association’s Annual Meeting & Convention in Anaheim, Calif.

Training will be administered through the National Academy of Railroad Sciences (NARS), which is part of BNSF’s Technical Training Center in Overland Park, Kan., and will include classroom instruction, simulated practice, computer-based training, Web-based training and distance learning. More than 20,000 employees from 400-plus short lines and regionals could be trained annually, including locomotive engineers, conductors; yard crews; and mechanical, maintenance, engineering, signal systems and telecommunications workers.

“The railroad industry has made a concerted effort to adopt similar best practices and rule requirements in an effort to operate safely,” said BNSF Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Matt Rose in a prepared statement. “BNSF is proud to have taken a leadership role in these developments and to share them with the rest of the industry.”

Added ASLRRA President Richard Timmons: “Partnership with NARS provides our members with easy access to training modules that cover regulatory requirements for virtually every craft. The benefits from a safety and professional skills standpoint are enormous.”

BNSF’s Technical Training Center provides training to BNSF’s 38,000 employees via the classroom, laboratory, simulator, distance learning and computer-based training. Last year, more than 3,300 new BNSF employees and 1,525 existing employees were trained at the 120,000-square-foot facility. Additionally, 18,000 other BNSF employees receive field training each year. Through a partnership with the Johnson County Community College, BNSF also provides the curriculum for the National Academy of Railroad Sciences, which offers a variety of degrees in railroad sciences and provides technical training to the Alaska Railroad Corp., RailAmerica Inc. and Kansas City Southern.