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                                                                    EXHIBIT 10.3

                          RETIREMENT BENEFIT AGREEMENT

     THIS AGREEMENT dated this 19th day of April, 2002, between Burlington
Northern Santa Fe Corporation (hereinafter referred to as the "Company") and Mr.
Matthew K. Rose (hereinafter referred to as "Mr. Rose").

                               W I T N E S S E T H

     WHEREAS, in consideration of Mr. Rose's service, the Company desires to
provide Mr. Rose with benefits upon retirement to be calculated in the manner
and provided under the conditions set forth herein;

     NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants contained herein,
the Company and Mr. Rose agree as follows:

     1.   Upon retiring pursuant to the Normal Retirement or Early Retirement
provisions of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Retirement Plan (hereinafter
referred to as the "Plan"), Mr. Rose will be entitled to the following
retirement benefits:

     (a)  A Normal Retirement Benefit, or reduced Early Retirement Benefit,
          calculated in accordance with Plan provisions in effect on the date of
          his termination, and payable out of Plan assets in accordance with the
          Plan terms and, if entitled thereto by the provisions of the
          Burlington Northern Santa Fe Supplemental Retirement Plan (the
          "Supplemental Plan"), an additional benefit payable out of the general
          assets of the Company; and

     (b)  An extra retirement benefit (hereinafter referred to as the
          "Retirement Supplement") payable in the same form and on the same
          dates and for the same period during which benefits are paid under the
          Supplemental Plan out of the general assets of the Company equal to
          the amount described in subparagraph (i) below minus the amount
          described in subparagraph (ii) below, calculated as follows:

          (i)  2.2% of Plan Compensation for each of the first 14 years of
               Benefit Service, plus
               2.5% of Plan Compensation for each of the next 3 years of Benefit
               Service, plus
               3.0% of Plan Compensation for each of the next 3 years of Benefit
               Service, plus
               3.5% of Plan Compensation for each of the next 4 years of Benefit
               Service,

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               subject to a maximum benefit equal to 61.3% of Plan Compensation,
               which will be achieved after 24 years of Benefit Service.

               For purposes of computing the benefit described above:

               Plan Compensation shall mean Plan Compensation as defined in
               Section 2.16 of the Plan, except that "36" shall be substituted
               for "60" wherever such figure appears;

               Plan Compensation shall be based on Compensation as defined in
               Section 2.08 of the Plan, provided, however, that the
               compensation limitations of Section 401(a)(17) of the Internal
               Revenue Code shall not be taken into account and further provided
               that Plan Compensation shall include any participant
               contributions under a non-qualified deferred compensation
               arrangement, compensation foregone in exchange for a Company
               stock award as set forth in Schedule A to the Supplemental Plan
               or any other such compensatory arrangement as may be established
               by the company as set forth in Schedule A to the Supplemental
               Plan; and

               Benefit Service shall mean Benefit Service as defined in Section
               4.02 of the Plan.

               The benefit described above shall be calculated in accordance
               with Plan provisions in effect on the date of Mr. Rose's
               retirement with regard to Forms of Retirement Benefits and Early
               Retirement Reduction. For purposes of the Early Retirement
               Reduction, Mr. Rose shall be treated as if he would have
               completed 30 years of Benefit Service on his 62nd birthday.

          minus

          (ii) The sum of Mr. Rose's Normal Retirement Benefit, or reduced Early
               Retirement Benefit, as calculated in Section 1(a) of this
               Agreement plus the Railroad Retirement Benefit Amount. The
               Railroad Retirement Benefit Amount is the unreduced monthly
               Railroad Retirement benefit for which Mr. Rose is eligible,
               assuming he applied for and did not voluntarily disqualify
               himself from receiving such benefit on the earliest date on which
               he could receive such benefit, provided, however, that if Mr.
               Rose retires at a time when he is not eligible for unreduced
               Railroad Retirement benefits the Railroad Retirement Benefit
               Amount shall be adjusted in the same manner as the Retirement
               Supplement described in Section 1(b)(i) above.

     (c)  The Retirement Supplement to be provided to Mr. Rose pursuant to
          Section 1(b) will be forfeited if Mr. Rose voluntarily terminates his
          employment with the Company

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          without the Company's consent prior to the completion of five years of
          continuous employment after the date of this Agreement or if Mr. Rose
          is terminated by the Company for Cause (defined below), but shall not
          be forfeited if Mr. Rose voluntarily terminates his employment with
          the Company after the completion of five years of continuous
          employment after the date of this Agreement or if Mr. Rose's
          employment with the Company terminates by reason of his death or
          disability or termination by the Company without Cause. For purposes
          of this Section 1(c), "Cause" shall mean (i) the willful and continued
          failure by Mr. Rose to substantially perform his duties with the
          Company (other than any such failure resulting from his incapacity due
          to physical or mental illness), or (ii) the willful engaging by Mr.
          Rose in conduct which is demonstrably and materially injurious to the
          Company, monetarily or otherwise. For purposes of this definition, no
          act, or failure to act, shall be deemed "willful" unless done, or
          omitted to be done, by Mr. Rose not in good faith and without
          reasonable belief that his action or omission was in the best interest
          of the Company.

     2.   Nothing contained herein shall confer any right upon Mr. Rose for
continued employment by the Company, or any affiliate or subsidiary of the
Company.

     3.   In the event of a Change in Control, as defined in BNSF's trust
agreement relating to BNSF's obligations under certain deferred compensation,
retirement commitments and supplemental retirement plans, prior to Mr. Rose's
attainment of age 55, then the forfeiture provisions of Section 1(c) above shall
not apply and, for purposes of computing the amount described in Section 1(b)(i)
above, Mr. Rose's Benefit Service shall be determined by adding the lesser of
(i) 36 months or (ii) the number of months remaining until Mr. Rose's 55th
birthday to the Benefit Service as defined in Section 4.02 of the Plan. If Mr.
Rose is entitled to and receives extra retirement benefits in the event of a
Change in Control (as defined above) pursuant to the terms of a severance or
change in control agreement other than this Agreement (hereinafter referred to
as "Change in Control Benefits") which are equal to or greater than the
Retirement Supplement in the event of a Change in Control under this Agreement,
then the first sentence of this paragraph shall have no force or effect. If Mr.
Rose is entitled to Change in Control Benefits which are less than the
Retirement Supplement in the event of a Change in Control described in this
Agreement, then Mr. Rose shall be entitled to the difference between the
Retirement Supplement in the event of a Change in Control described in this
Agreement and such Change in Control Benefits.

     4.   The Company retains the right to withhold from payments due hereunder
amounts deemed by the Company to be required to be withheld under income or
other tax laws of any jurisdiction.

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     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of
the day and year first above written.

                                                    BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE
                                                    CORPORATION

                                                    By:  /s/ Gloria Zamora
                                                         -----------------------

[Corporate Seal]
ATTEST:

-----------------------
           Secretary

                                                    /s/ Matthew K. Rose
                                                    ----------------------------
                                                    MATTHEW K. ROSE

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                                                                   EXHIBIT 10.4

APPROVAL OF DISCRETIONARY BONUS

     WHEREAS, the Board, upon the recommendation of the Compensation and
Development Committee, wishes to award a discretionary bonus to Mr. Robert D.
Krebs, former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Burlington Northern Santa Fe
Corporation (the "Company").

     NOW THEREFORE, IT IS RESOLVED, that Mr. Krebs be provided with a bonus of
$2,500,000 payable April 30, 2002.

     FURTHER RESOLVED, that the appropriate officers of the Company are hereby
authorized and directed to take or cause to be taken such actions as may, in the
judgment of any of such officers, be necessary or appropriate to carry out the
purpose of these resolutions.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation
Meeting of the Board of Directors
April 18, 2002

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