| Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the freight rail transportation business. It transports various consumer products, which include motor vehicles and vehicle parts; and industrial products comprising construction, building, petroleum, chemicals and plastic, and food and beverages, as well as cotton, salt, rubber and tires, and miscellaneous boxcar shipments. The company also transports coal products; and agricultural products, such as wheat, corn, bulk foods, soybeans, oil seeds and meals, feeds, barley, oats and rye, flour and mill products, milo, oils, specialty grains, malt, ethanol, and fertilizers. As of December 31, 2008, Burlington Northern Santa Fe operated a railroad system consisting approximately 32,000 route miles in 28 states and 2 Canadian provinces. The company was founded in 1994 and is based in Fort Worth, Texas. |