News Release

BNSF Honors Minnesota Employees for Excellence in Safety

FORT WORTH, Texas, April 11, 2005:

BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) today announced that it named Robert Johnson, BNSF machinist in Northtown, Minn. and Lonny Johnson, BNSF maintenance of way foreman in Grand Rapids, Minn., Safety Employees of the Year for 2004, on April 4, 2005 at a special ceremony in Fort Worth. A total of six BNSF employees were honored for excellence in safety at the event.

Lonny Johnson has 38 years service with BNSF and has maintained an exemplary safety record and has received two letters of commendation for this contributions and quality performances in 2002 and 2004 Capital Maintenance Programs, in both of which his teams worked injury-free. Currently, he is team leader on a regional system production gang, a 54-person mechanized tie gang. Lonny Johnson resides in Cohasset, Minn.

Robert Johnson has 32 years of service with BNSF and has worked nearly every position in the machinist craft. Over his career, he has advanced safety through leadership roles as safety assistant for the Northtown Diesel Shop, Mechanical Department Tier II Safety Team co-chairman, a safety trainer, Operation Lifesaver presenter, and as a liaison to emergency responders in the community. He also actively participates in the division Safety Assurance and Compliance Program. In addition to safety, Robert Johnson promotes diversity within BNSF by representing the Northtown Diesel Shop on the Twin Cities Diversity Council. Robert Johnson resides in Coon Rapids, Minn.

"Ensuring safety for our employees, our customers and the communities we serve is the number one priority at BNSF," says Matt Rose, BNSF chairman, president and CEO. "We are proud to honor our employees who have demonstrated safe operating practices and help us to achieve our vision of operating free of accidents and injuries."

The BNSF Safety Employees of the Year for 2004 are Thomas Anderson, Havre, Mont.; Gary Watkins, Fresno, Calif.; Jerry Garton, Douglas, Wyo.; Robert Johnson, Northtown, Minn.; William Bell, Alliance, Neb.; and Lonny Johnson, Grand Rapids, Minn..

A subsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (NYSE:BNI), BNSF Railway operates one of the largest railroad networks in North America, with about 32,000 route miles in 28 states and two Canadian provinces. 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 low-sulphur coal to generate about ten percent of the electricity produced in the United States. BNSF Railway is an industry leader in Web-enabling a variety of customer transactions at www.bnsf.com.

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