As part of the department’s restructuring efforts, BNSF Railway has put some of its technical service personnel down.

Although the BNSF did not disclose specific numbers, the cuts are believed to have been affected by 140 to 175 workers.

The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline is creating a division called “BNSF | Tech” as part of what it describes as a “strategic initiative to transform the future of rail operations through innovation.” According to a prepared statement, the new organization “will inject new investments and expand its team of software engineers to focus on building safer, smarter railroads.”

The company noted that “certain technical service positions are being reused or phased out” because the reorganized technology sector will “reliably over time on contractors and third-party suppliers.”

The BNSF said it was “still committed to supporting employees affected by staff changes” and provided “applicable resources and career transition services” to those affected by the layoffs.

"We are actively hiring several key positions, and additional recruitment will increase rapidly throughout the summer," a BNSF spokesperson said in an email to FreightWaves. "We expect most transition and recruitment programs to be completed by the end of the year, with additional recruitment continuing through 2026."

In the case of mixed financial performance of operators, restructuring of the technology sector emerges. Although BNSF reported higher revenues in the first quarter of 2025, it continued to face financial challenges. At Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting on Saturday, outgoing CEO Warren Buffett acknowledged the difficulties, noting: “The railway is making more money than it was last year, but it is not making what it should have earned at the moment. But it is fixable.

The ongoing U.S.-China tariff war has also forced transport providers to put pressure. The BNSF is the largest tractor for domestic agricultural exports and also provides intermodal transport services from the Long Beach Port Complex in Los Angeles, Southern California, with imported goods expected to drop by more than one-third in the coming weeks.

The layoffs were first reported by Fort Worth's Star TV series.

This is not the first time BNSF has recently reduced its labor force. Railways will fire more than 360 machinery employees in March 2024.

subscription FreightWaves' Railroad Electronic News And get the latest insights on rail freight in your inbox.

Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

Related coverage:

Railway hopes Fed scrapping 2-person train crew rules