BNSF has better management than UP, and is poised to benefit from America’s overall infrastructure upgrade. The smart grid needs more wires, and the easiest place to put long distance power wires is alongside the railroads. One way to allow more cars on highways is to keep trucks off highways. The easiest way is to put the trailers on trains. BNSF (and Buffett) get along well with the government; Amtrak trains on BNSF are rarely delayed, while UP often delays Amtrak. BNSF is a lot more likely to get stimulus money, as well as quick approval, for things like on-dock rail. That’s where the containers come off the ship, and get placed right on the train. Local containers go to trucks, but the stuff going from Oakland to Bentonville’s warehouses can go quicker.

Suburban rail systems are popping up, and cooperative railroads are reaping the benefit. Austin comes to mind, there are others in the works. BNSF will probably manage them better than UP.

As far as a (trivia) connection with railroads and churches, the second largest (after the feds) real estate owner in the west is UP. In the east, number 2 is the Catholic Church!

Three decades ago, the suburban church was fairly good at integrating itself with the (core) city. Nowadays, the megachurch model is pretty unconnected with everything, including the city .