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January 24, 2006 8:10 AM, EST

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urlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., which operates the nation’s second-largest freight railroad, Tuesday reported record quarterly earnings for the fourth quarter, annual revenue and earnings per share.

The parent of BNSF Railway Co. said it earned $430 million or $1.13 per share for the quarter, compared with $347 million or 91 cents a year earlier.

For the year, the company earned $1.5 billion or a record $4.01 a share, up from $791 million or $2.10 in 2004.

Freight revenue, which makes up the bulk of BNSF’s revenue, rose 18% to a record $3.45 billion for the fourth quarter, from $2.9 billion a year earlier. For the year, freight revenue was $12.6 billion, compared with $10.7 billion in 2004.