Berkshire Hathaway Inc.’s BNSF Railway Co. saw civil penalties assessed by federal safety regulators soar 140% last year as the government utilized fresh authority to levy larger safety fines on the industry.
BNSF was assessed $3.2 million in civil penalties or settlements for cases closed last year by the Federal Railroad Administration, according to the agency’s latest annual enforcement report.
Union Pacific Corp. and Norfolk Southern Corp., which are seeking merger approval from a different agency, also saw fines jump. Union Pacific’s penalties rose 25% to $5.4 million, the most of any major national railroad. Norfolk Southern ...
