Crews begin $15 million track maintenance project in Illinois

The BNSF Railway Company today will begin repairing a 29-mile stretch of track between Galesburg and Wilbern.

The work includes the removal, repairing and replacement of ballast and repairing the roadbed. A second BNSF crew will replace more than 70,000 railroad ties along the same route. This maintenance project will cost approximately $15 million and last about four months.

"Galesburg is an important hub for our West Coast and Chicago traffic," said Dave Freeman, BNSF vice president, Engineering.

A subsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (NYSE: BNI), BNSF Railway Company operates one of the largest North American rail networks, with about 32,000 route miles in 28 states and two Canadian provinces.