EXHIBIT 99.1

[BNSF LOGO]                                                        NEWS

                                                           FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Richard A. Russack (BNSF)
         (817) 867-6425

     BNSF Strongly Recommends Shareholders Not Accept Mini-Tender Offer

     FORT WORTH, Texas, February 22, 2002 -- Burlington Northern Santa Fe
Corporation (NYSE: BNI; BNSF) today said that it strongly recommends that
shareholders not accept an unsolicited, below-market mini-tender offer for up to
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12.5 million shares, or approximately 3.25 percent of BNSF's outstanding common
stock, by TRC Capital Corporation (TRC), an Ontario, Canada-based firm.

     The mini-tender offer is for a below-market price of $26.15 per share in
cash, an amount that is 5.0 percent less than BNSF's closing price on February
13, 2002, the day before the date of TRC's tender offer materials, and is 5.1
percent less than BNSF's closing price today of $27.55.

     TRC recently has made a number of similar unsolicited mini-tender offers
for stock of other companies who also have recommended to their shareholders
that they reject the tender offer.

     The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued an investor
alert regarding mini-tender offers, which can be found on the SEC website at
www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/minitend.htm). The SEC has said that mini-tender
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offers "have been increasingly used to catch investors off guard" and that
investors "may end up selling their securities at below-market prices."

     Mini-tender offers are also the subject of an investor alert ("Mini-Tender
Offers - Watch Out For Mini-Tender Offers at Below Market Price") and a staff
notice issued by the Canadian Securities Administration (see
www.osc.gov.on.ca/en/About/Regulation/Rulemaking/Notices/csanotices/
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61-301csan.html).
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     Because mini-tender offers involve an offer to purchase less than five
percent of a company's securities, the person making the mini-tender offer is
not required to file the offering documents with the SEC. Shareholders who are
considering tendering their shares are urged to carefully read the full offering
materials and to consult their financial advisor or a reputable broker before
making any decision.

     Through its subsidiary, The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway
Company, BNSF operates one of the largest railroad networks in the United
States, with 33,000 route miles covering 28 states and two Canadian provinces.

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  Editor's note: This news release can be found on BNSF's Web site at bnsf.com