News Release

BNSF and Ferromex Improve Transborder Intermodal Service By Significantly Reducing Transit Times

FORT WORTH, Texas and MEXICO CITY, Mexico, January 28, 2003:

The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF) and Ferrocarril Mexicano (Ferromex) today announced they have improved their transborder intermodal service by significantly reducing transit times between major U.S./Canadian markets and Mexico.

This service builds a seamless North American transportation network initially targeted for freight moving between Guadalajara or Mexico City, in Mexico, and major North American markets -- including Southern California, Northern California, Chicago, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and major Canadian markets -- through BNSF's El Paso, Texas, gateway.

"This new truck-competitive service with Ferromex will benefit shippers looking for a competitive, cost-effective alternative to over-the-road shipping," said Richard Miller, assistant vice president, BNSF Mexico Business. "For example, the new service offers seven -or eight- day transit time between Los Angeles or Chicago to and from Mexico City and Guadalajara. This matches transit times offered by over-the-road service providers today."

"Our innovative, seamless and safe service offers a dynamic and consistent transportation system to satisfy door-to-door intermodal logistics needs, facilitating trade between Canada, U.S. and Mexico, " said Julio Maza, vice president, Ferromex Intermodal Division.

Prices for the service can be found online at the BNSF Mexi-Modal Web site located at www.bnsf.com/business/mexico/meximodal. These prices contain all components of the shipment in the price, including bridge crossing at El Paso, Texas and Inbond with Mexican customs.

With this service, traffic crosses the U.S./Mexico border in El Paso, Texas. Historically, the majority of rail traffic into and out of Mexico has crossed the border in south Texas.

Ferromex Intermodal Service with BNSF started in 2002, as a response to export and import customer requirements, moving time-sensitive automotive parts into and out of Mexico, with Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua as a natural cross border point.

Ferrocarril Mexicano (FERROMEX) began operating on February 19, 1998, after obtaining concession from the Federal Government. With over 8,500 kilometers of track and attending more than 3,000 customers, Ferromex connects five major urban centers in the country, five key border cities with the United States, four seaports on the Pacific Ocean and one more on the Gulf of Mexico. Since February 1998 Ferromex has invested over $ 570 million, as part of a five-year modernization program.

A subsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (NYSE:BNI), BNSF operates one of the largest railroad networks in North America, with 33,000 route miles covering 28 states and two Canadian provinces. BNSF is an industry leader in Web-enabling a wide variety of customer transactions at www.bnsf.com. The railway moves more intermodal traffic than any other rail system in the world, is America’s largest grain-hauling railroad, transports the mineral components of many of the products we depend on daily, and hauls enough coal to generate more than 10 percent of the electricity produced in the United States.

BNSF Headquarters
BNSF Railway Company
2650 Lou Menk Dr. 2nd Floor
P.O. Box 961057
Fort Worth, TX 76161-0057
Phone: (817) 352-1000