BNSF has warned customers that Tropical Storm Bertha could cause Gulf Coast freight delays, longer transit times and alternate routings as flooding risks spread west toward Louisiana and Texas.

Illustrative image of BNSF locomotive 5207 leading a freight train across a bridge in Alabama.
Illustrative BNSF freight train on a bridge in Alabama; the image does not show Tropical Storm Bertha or current Gulf Coast operations. Photo: Emmett Tullos, CC BY 2.0.

BNSF stages resources for possible flooding

In a July 21 service advisory⁠, BNSF said it was closely monitoring Bertha and did not expect widespread damage to its infrastructure at that time. However, the railroad said flash flooding could continue through Friday, with isolated effects reaching parts of the Texas coast later in the week.

The company has positioned additional resources at strategic locations, including ballast in South Texas, so crews can respond to flooding, washouts or other track and infrastructure damage. BNSF is also monitoring flood gates in the New Orleans area because closures could affect traffic interchanging with eastern rail carriers.

Conditions near Eagle Pass remain another concern following last week’s incident on Union Pacific’s Del Rio Subdivision between Uvalde and Hondo. Saturated ground and elevated water levels could cause further service interruptions on a corridor used for freight interchange and cross-border movements.

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Gulf Coast customers may face longer transit times

BNSF advised customers with shipments moving through the Gulf Coast region to prepare for possible delays, extended transit times and alternate routings. Operations teams will adjust traffic flows where necessary to maintain network fluidity and limit disruption.

Customers seeking shipment-specific information can use the Message Us feature in the BNSF Customer Portal or contact BNSF Customer Support at 1-888-428-2673.

Bertha moves west along the northern Gulf Coast

The National Hurricane Center reported⁠ at 7:00 a.m. CDT on July 22 that Bertha was about 45 miles northeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and westward movement at 5 mph.

A tropical storm warning covered the coast from the Florida Panhandle to Morgan City, Louisiana, including metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. A watch extended west from Morgan City to Sargent, Texas.

The later federal forecast called for 1–4 inches of rain, with isolated totals up to 6 inches through Thursday, and warned that flash flooding remained possible from western Florida to southern Texas.

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