WASHINGTON — Unions representing BNSF railroad workers have voiced significant safety and service concerns following recent cutbacks totaling $105 million in the company's 2024 capital maintenance plan. Tony Cardwell, president of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED) of the Teamsters Union, submitted a statement to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) arguing that BNSF's decision to postpone maintenance and infrastructure projects is driven by a desire for a "lower operating ratio" to appease its owner, Berkshire Hathaway. The statement, released by the STB on Thursday, contained an internal email from Justin Lopez, general director of BNSF’s Montana Division, to his employees. The email outlined specific areas where management intended to reduce or delay maintenance work, including the furloughing of two track lifter/undercutter gangs and two surface crew/high-speed tamping gangs. Lopez emphasized the critical importance of managing division capital and unit costs for remaining projects, stating, "There is no room for adding to our capital plan this year so if overruns need to be covered, it will be done through offsetting." Cardwell cautioned the STB that these cutbacks exemplify a "disturbing trend" within the rail industry, warning that while short-term financial gains might be realized, the long-term effects on the rail network will be detrimental.