Income Taxes Interest and Penalties (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	11 Months Ended	12 Months Ended		1 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2010 Successor [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Successor [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Successor [Member]	Feb. 12, 2010 Predecessor [Member]
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]
Income Tax Examination, Description		All U.S. federal income tax returns of BNSF are closed through 2007. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) examination of the years 2008 and 2009 and short tax year January 1 - February 12, 2010 (Predecessor) for BNSF is complete, and final agreement for federal income tax issues has been reached. BNSF is currently under examination for the period February 13 - December 31, 2010 (Successor) and the year 2011 (Successor).
Total accrued liabilities for interest and penalites		$ 7	$ 17
Total interest and penalties recognized as expense (benefit)	$ (9)	$ (8)	$ (4)	$ 1