HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Earnings among the nation’s railroads have been in a slump and BNSF was no exception. The nation’s second largest railroad recently reported its second quarter earnings to parent company Berkshire Hathaway.

BNSF reported that total operating income for the quarter was down 16 percent at $1.48 billion, down from $1.76 billion in the same quarter of last year. Net income totaled $772 million, which was down 20 percent from last year. As with most of the major carriers, a 42 percent decline in coal shipments ate into the railroads numbers, and forecasts call for further decline in coal loading.

Consumer products were a bright spot for BNSF as the railroad saw a two percent increase in intermodal shipping, although revenue fell by two percent for the first six months of the year.

Kroger will be the last major corporation with ties to the area to report its quarterly earnings when it releases those numbers on Friday.