The Burlington Northern Railroad ((AAR reporting mark BN) was a United States-based railroad operating between 1970 and 1995.

The Burlington Northern was the product of a 1970 merger comprising the Great Northern Railroad; the Northern Pacific Railway; the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad; and the Spokane, Portland, and Seattle Railway.

The Burlington Northern's locomotive livery painted the top quarter or so of the locomotive black and the rest green, with a white 'BN' logo. Often, the front of the locomotive was striped with white and green for visibility.

In 1995, the Burlington Northern merged with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to form the new Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, possibly the largest railroad in the United States by track mileage.