October 6, 2025 - TRA Newswire -
BNSF Railway has deployed its first solar- and wind-powered weather station in Haslet, just north of Fort Worth. The station runs without commercial power and supports real-time weather monitoring across the rail network.
The automated weather station records wind speed, temperature, humidity, and other key metrics, helping dispatchers respond to changing conditions. More and more railroads are moving toward these free-standing weather monitoring stations that can feed real-time information into a railroad's network operation center.
Operating conditions across the western half of the U.S. can be extremely challenging, especially in windy corridors. According to BNSF, "high winds can pose safety and operational concerns along our Southern Transcon. At certain speeds and conditions, wind can be strong enough to knock empty railcars off the track. We have a network of wind stations that measures wind speeds, wind direction, air temperature, humidity levels and more. The stations send warnings to our Network Operations Center, which will notify train crews in affected areas. Supervisors in the field also have hand-held anemometers to measure the wind."
Extreme cold wintertime conditions in BNSF's northern tier subdivisions can play havoc with train movements. During February 2025, the railroad reported that harsh winter weather conditions, including frigid, record-breaking temperatures and wind chills, have persisted across various locations across northern lines. An outbreak of Arctic air resulted in extreme weather events, with temperatures dropping as low as 45 degrees below zero in Antelope Creek, North Dakota (west of Bismarck), on Tuesday and setting new record lows in Kansas City, Missouri (-10 degrees) and Great Falls, Montana (-29 degrees).
“BNSF utilizes AccuWeather to monitor winds across our network in real time, which allows for direct communication between our train crews and dispatchers about the weather,” Clark Simmons, director, Transportation, explained. “AccuWeather will immediately alert our dispatchers of a wind event, specifically a high-wind warning, who will communicate with train crews operating in the affected area.
In addition, BNSF uses MaxWind, which is an automated system that determines the speed that each train can operate safely based on the train size and makeup, geography and wind conditions. "These technologies and communication efforts allow us to move safely and efficiently during wind events.
Photo credit: BNSF Railway