News Release

Illinois RailNet Announces Purchase of Illinois Lines from BNSF

FORT WORTH, TEXAS – October 8, 2004:

Illinois RailNet will acquire two rail lines consisting of nearly 25 miles of track from The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF) in Northern Illinois. The two rail lines being acquired by Illinois RailNet are between Oregon, Ill. and Mt. Morris, Ill. and between Zearing, Ill. and La Salle, Ill. Illinois RailNet will take control of operations on both lines, October 9, 2004.

This additional Illinois RailNet trackage will serve customers in the towns of Oregon, Mt. Morris, Ladd, La Salle, Spring Valley and Peru, Ill.

Illinois RailNet was created in 1997 and with this expansion will operate 113 miles of track. Illinois RailNet will interchange with BNSF at Oregon and/or Flag Center for traffic originating or terminating between Oregon and Mt. Morris, and at Zearing for traffic originating or terminating between Zearing and La Salle.

Rob McKenney, Illinois RailNet , Inc. Chairman and CEO, said this transaction "will benefit the customers on the lines by providing them with the flexible local service options provided by Illinois RailNet while continuing to provide the long haul reliability of BNSF."

"This kind of service partnership is an important part of BNSF’s ongoing effort to provide the most effective service for its customers and to ensure the most efficient use of its network assets," said BNSF’s Pete Rickershauser, vice president, Network Development. "We believe Illinois RailNet has the local business development and operating focus to benefit the customer base along these lines in Northern Illinois, while still enabling the customers to take advantage of BNSF’s network reach and marketing opportunities which we are continuing to refine and enhance."

A subsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (NYSE:BNI), BNSF operates one of the largest railroad networks in North America, with about 32,500 route miles covering 28 states and two Canadian provinces. BNSF is an industry leader in Web-enabling a variety of customer transactions at www.bnsf.com. The railway is among the world's top transporters of intermodal traffic, moves more grain than any other American railroad, transports the components of many of the products we depend on daily, and hauls enough coal to generate about ten percent of the electricity produced in the United States.

Illinois RailNet, Inc. is owned by North American RailNet, Inc. based in Bedford, TX. North American RailNet owns and operates four short line properties in six states and one Canadian province.

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