BNSF Railway is cutting jobs in Nebraska, including about a dozen in Lincoln.
Andy Williams, a spokesman for the Berkshire Hathaway-owned railroad, said it's reducing its mechanical workforce by 95 positions -- 83 in Alliance and 12 in Lincoln -- "due to our customers’ changing business conditions and projected lower demand for rail cars to ship commodities."
Railroads were already being hit by a huge drop in demand for coal before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Now there also is likely to be a huge drop in demand for a number of other items. Moody's Investors Service said in a report last week that rail freight demand dropped 22% in April compared with a year ago and total rail freight volumes in North America could drop 15% this year compared with 2019.
Williams said workers whose jobs are being cut are being offered opportunities to transfer to another city, with their relocation costs paid, if similar positions are available.
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The cuts are part of several hundred that BNSF is making across several states. According to media reports, the company is closing maintenance shops in Wyoming and Montana and also laid off workers in at maintenance and repair facilities in Kansas, North Dakota and Wisconsin.
Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com.
On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz.
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