Exhibit 99.1
 
                   BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE CORPORATION

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Contact:        Richard Russack (BN)            FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                (817) 333-6116

                Catherine Westphal (Santa Fe)
                (708) 995-6273

              BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE CORPORATION ANNOUNCES
              CLOSING OF BUSINESS COMBINATION BETWEEN BURLINGTON
                NORTHERN INC. AND SANTA FE PACIFIC CORPORATION

          Trading to Commence Today on NYSE under Symbol, BNI Common
         Stock Also Will Trade on Chicago and Pacific Stock Exchanges


FORT WORTH, Texas, September 22, 1995 -- Burlington Northern Santa Fe
Corporation (BNSF) announced that the business combination between Burlington
Northern Inc. (BNI) and Santa Fe Pacific Corporation (SFP) became effective at
8:32 a.m. E.D.T. today.  BNI and SFP are subsidiaries of BNSF, a new public
company.

     As a result, each share of SFP common stock will be exchanged for
0.411,43945 of a share of newly issued BNSF common stock and each share of BNI
stock will be exchanged for one share of BNSF common stock.  In addition, each
share of BNI's 6-1/4% Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, Series A will
become one share of BNSF preferred stock with substantially identical terms and
will be convertible into BNSF common stock.

     The BNSF common and preferred stock will begin trading today, under the
symbol BNI, on the New York Stock Exchange, the Chicago Stock Exchange and the
Pacific Stock Exchange.

     On or about Sept. 27, 1995, SFP and BNI registered shareholders will
receive an information package from the Exchange Agent, Transfer Agent and
Registrar for BNSF, First Chicago Trust Company of New York.  This package will
include instructions about the certificate exchange process.

     Pursuant to the BNI-SFP merger agreement, the exchange ratio for each share
of SFP common stock increased from 0.40 to 0.41143945 shares of BNSF common
stock as a result of the repurchase by Sante Fe Pacific of 3,614,739 shares of
its common stock between Feb. 7, the date of

 
shareholder approval, and Sept. 21, 1995.  BNSF has approximately 142 million
outstanding shares.

     Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation owns the largest railroad network
in the United States with more than 31,000 route miles reaching across 27 states
and two Canadian provinces to provide single-line service to shippers.  The
network stretches from the Midwest to California and to the Pacific Northwest,
across the Southeast, the Southwest and the Pacific Northwest, and between the
Gulf of Mexico and Canada.

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