Fort Worth-based BNSF Railway is expanding its freight business with a new North Texas facility.
BNSF and local officials broke ground at an industrial park site March 12 in the southwest Grayson County city of Gunter. The city, west of Ray Roberts Lake, is about 70 miles northwest from Fort Worth.
Construction for the first phase of the Logistics Center North Dallas, located about an hour north of Dallas off State Highway 289, will take about 19 months, officials said. The center will have direct rail service to expand supply chain access across North Texas.
“Gunter is well-placed in one of the fastest-growing corridors in the country, and this new logistics center positions our customers to take full advantage of that momentum,” Scot Bates, BNSF assistant vice president of economic development and real estate, said in a statement. “By offering direct rail service and a ready-to-build site, we’re helping customers expand their supply chain reach faster and more efficiently.”
Officials said the facility will create an advantage for customers by helping them save nine to 12 months of development time by building a private business park.
Gunter Mayor Karen Souther said the groundbreaking represents an important step for the city’s future.
“Getting here required hard conversations, meaningful collaborations, and a commitment from everyone involved to find a path that will protect our community while creating opportunities,” Souther said in a statement. “I am so proud of where we are today and of the partnership that helped make it possible.”
Three years ago, BNSF filed a lawsuit when the Gunter City Council would not approve its platting plans for the center. The railway and the city reached an agreement in July that requires the center to have a buffer zone of 500 to 800 feet from existing homes and regulates sound levels and lighting, KTEN reported.
Officials said the project will create long-term, well-paying jobs in the logistics and supply industry. The center will aid in lowering transportation costs as it strengthens supply-chain routes while reducing truck freight traffic.
Gunter, with a 2026 population estimated at 3,283, is located in a fast-growing area. The median age is 36.1 years and the median household income is $120,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
The BNSF site is among several new Gunter construction projects announced in March. Developers plan to build 209 single-family homes on a $15 million, 53-acre subdivision called the Preserve, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Company officials said they will work with Gunter on future center plans, including zoning and platting requirements.
BNSF officials said the railway directly invests in their private business centers to create opportunities in underserved but strategic markets.
The Gunter facility will be BNSF’s sixth logistics center and the third in Texas. The railroad also has Texas centers in Sweetwater and Cleveland near Houston.
Eric E. Garcia is senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
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