BNSF Railway Co plans to buy its own fleet of up to 5,000 new crude oil tank cars with safety features that exceed the latest industry standards, the company, a unit of investor Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc, said on Thursday. The unusual step by one of the largest U.S. railroads aims to further the industry’s push for safer movement of crude by rail after several recent accidents, including one involving a BNSF train in North Dakota in December. The company, a major mover of crude by rail throughout the United States, plans to seek bids from railcar makers for up to 5,000 new tank cars with thicker walls and ends, increased protection of safety and pressure valves, and other features that go beyond industry standards adopted two years ago. The news sent shares of several U.S. railcar makers higher. BNSF’s plan is atypical for […]