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Katie Farmer

President and Chief Executive Officer, Bnsf Railway

Search every verified Katie Farmer interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Katie Farmer, president and CEO of BNSF Railway, has recently highlighted the company’s $1.5 billion Barstow International Gateway (BIG) project in Southern California, describing it as a state-of-the-art, 4,500-acre rail and logistics hub that would be the largest facility of its kind in North America when fully built. She said the facility, located about 100 miles from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, would allow ocean containers to move directly by rail to Barstow for on-site transloading and transfer to outbound trains, potentially reducing transit times by 2 to 3 days for certain shipments. Farmer also discussed the importance of improving communication and data sharing across the supply chain, advocating for a universal transportation management system to better integrate information from ocean carriers, marine terminals, and ports, while acknowledging that perfect forecasts from customers are unlikely. In discussions about the broader economy and BNSF’s operations, Farmer described current conditions as a “mixed bag,” with consumer products, including intermodal and automotive, showing strength, while industrial segments faced headwinds. She addressed challenges such as declining coal volumes, truck capacity pressures, and the need to focus on cost structure and service reliability to remain competitive. Farmer also expressed concerns about proposed California regulations on locomotive emissions, stating that the technology for zero-emission locomotives is not yet available and that compliance could cost about $800 million annually, potentially harming the economy and shifting more freight to trucks. She emphasized BNSF’s long-term investment approach, noting the company continues to invest in infrastructure even during periods of lower volumes, and highlighted efforts to improve labor relations and workplace culture following recent contract negotiations.

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