Layoffs hit BNSF tech staff amid restructuring

BNSF Railway has laid off a portion of its technology services staff as part of a departmental restructuring effort.

While BNSF did not disclose specific numbers, the cuts are believed to have affected between 140 and 175 workers.

The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier 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, this new organization “will be infused with new investment and an expanded team of software engineers focused on building a safer, smarter railroad.”

The company noted that “some Technology Services positions are being repurposed or eliminated” as the restructured technology division will have “a reduced reliance on contractors and third-party vendors over time.”

BNSF stated it “remains committed to supporting employees affected by personnel changes” and is providing “applicable resources and career transition services” to those impacted by the layoffs.

“We’re actively hiring for several key positions, and additional hiring will ramp up quickly through the summer,” a BNSF spokeswoman said in an email to FreightWaves. “We expect most of the transition and hiring plan to be complete by the end of this year with additional hiring continuing into 2026.”

The technology department restructuring comes amid mixed financial performance for the carrier. While BNSF reported higher earnings in the first quarter of 2025, it continues to face financial challenges. At Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting on Saturday, outgoing Chief Executive Warren Buffett acknowledged these difficulties, stating, “The railroad is earning a little more than last year, but it’s not earning what it should be earning at the present time. But that’s solvable and is getting solved.”

The ongoing U.S. tariff war with China is also pressuring transportation providers. BNSF is the top hauler of domestic agricultural products for export and also provides intermodal services out of the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex in Southern California, where import shipments are expected to fall by more than a third in the coming weeks.

The layoffs were first reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

This is not BNSF’s first significant workforce reduction in recent times. The railroad laid off more than 360 mechanical employees in March 2024.

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Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

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