In 1827, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad opened as the first passenger and freight line in the United States, kickstarting what would become the railway industry and symbolizing how the United States would embrace technological advancements. As the largest rail transportation network in the world, there are about 160,000 miles of rails crisscrossing the country. Annually, more than 25% of freight in the United States is moved by railways. The largest rail company in the United States is BNSF Railway Company. Headquartered in Fort Worth, TX, BNSF’s history dates back to 1849 and has continued to grow and adapt to the changing landscape of the railway industry. What has been paramount for BNSF’s success is its ability to adapt to the changes needed for an industry that is almost 200 years old in the modern world.

Technology is what allows the rail industry to operate safely and efficiently. For today, that means finding a way to take advantage of drone technology for an industry reliant on ground transportation, something BNSF has set a standard for, emulated by other railroad companies throughout the country. On BNSF’s website, it says, “BNSF’s UAS program was founded in late 2013 and by late 2014 was the first railroad – and one of only a few companies – at the time granted authority by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate unmanned aircraft systems, thanks largely to our reputation as a technology leader.” The motivation to start the drone program came from the company’s CEO at the time, Matt Rose.

Matt had seen a video on YouTube taken by a drone flown over the railways of Cajon Pass. The recreational FPV (First Person View) drone video struck a chord with him, and he immediately recognized the potential drones could provide the rail industry. He assigned Todd Graetz, Director of Technology Services at BNSF, with finding a way to implement drones to help streamline day-to-day tasks. Todd had 90 days to create a program for testing. “I immediately went out and started buying mail-order, self-built drone kits—horribly unreliable and terribly cheap—but they proved the concept,” Todd said. “They were a GoPro camera with propellers.”

Todd was determined to prove that the drone program could outlast the 90-day trial, and he was right. BNSF began working closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on how to incorporate drones into commercial industries. In 2015, BNSF became a pivotal member of the FAA’s Pathfinder Program to integrate drones into national shared airspace. BNSF was particularly focused on testing how drones could be used safely BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line Of Sight).

By 2019, BNSF became one of the first companies to receive an exemption waiver from the FAA to allow BVLOS drone operations. This opened a whole new world of possibilities for the partnership of drones and the rail industry. Nick Dryer, BNSF’s UAS Field Operations Manager, explained how the exemption made all the difference after extreme flooding in the Midwest. “In some areas, the flooding was so severe that the tracks could not be accessed other than by boat,” Nick said. “Instead of the typical way of doing our assessment, we used drones to fly line of sight up to two miles, depending on the aircraft, which enabled us to get a great amount of data while keeping our employees safe.”

For a decade now, BNSF has been a leader in how drones can take the railway industry into the future. Drones are being used to inspect some aspect of BNSF’s enterprises daily while they continue to work with the FAA to progress the drone industry. “BNSF has been a valued partner for several years, bringing a wide array of technical expertise and resources to find solutions in the rapidly-evolving unmanned aircraft ecosystem,” said Jay Merkle, Executive Director of the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Office.

“Our partnership with them represents far more than two organizations seeking a means to an end.” BNSF is an example of how drones can be used safely in a unique environment; you just have to think outside the box—a sentiment that propelled the railway industry into action back in the 1800s. As BNSF Railway continues to pioneer the integration of drone technology, it not only enhances efficiency and safety in the rail industry but also sets a precedent for how innovative solutions can shape the future of transportation.

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