Industry giant BNSF Railway Co. plans to spend about $95 million to improve its freight network in Minnesota this year.
Most of the money will be spent on replacing and upgrading rail, rail ties and ballast (the rocks that support the track bed) on BNSF's 1,500 miles of track throughout the state, the company said Tuesday in a news release. Since 2014, BNSF said, it has spent about $840 million to expand and maintain its network in Minnesota.
The work is part of BNSF's $3.6 billion capital improvement program nationwide.
In addition to agricultural products such as corn, wheat and soybeans, BNSF also transports large quantities of timber, paper products and taconite from Minnesota to other markets, said Chad Sundem, general manager of operations for the company's Twin Cities division, in a statement.
