Railroad News

CSX and Wabtec are partnering to modernize CSX's locomotive fleet with digital technologies designed to deliver fuel efficiency and emissions reductions.

The partnership will help CSX in the Class I's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 37% by 2030, CSX and Wabtec officials said in a press release.

The planned Howard Street Tunnel expansion project in Baltimore has received a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) as part of the project review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced yesterday.

The project will expand the 126-year-old Howard Street Tunnel to accommodate double-stacked container trains traveling to and from the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore, increasing efficiency and capacity.

Northwest Grains International LLC last week broke ground on an agricultural transload operation in Dillon County, South Carolina.

The $2.5 million transload facility will serve agricultural producers and handle containerized soybeans, lumber, logs, peanuts, cotton, cotton seed and yellow peas for export through the Port of Charleston via the rail-served Inland Port Dillon, according to a South Carolina Ports Authority press release.

Terminals operated by Total Distribution Services Inc. (TDSI), a CSX subsidiary, received the Association of American Railroads' (AAR) "Terminal of the Year" award in both the origin and destination categories.

TDSI Strawberry Yard in Louisville, Kentucky, earned the Origin Terminal of the Year award with a 99.69% audit score.

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) yesterday announced it rejected CSX’s proposed acquisition of Pan Am Systems Inc. and its short-line subsidiaries because the Class I’s application was considered "incomplete."

The board found that the application did not include all of the information necessary for purposes of a "significant" transaction under its regulations, STB officials said in a press release.

CSX Corp. yesterday announced decreases in first-quarter 2021 revenue and net income compared with the same period a year ago due to difficult operating conditions during the quarter.

The Class I posted Q1 net earnings of $706 million, or $0.93 per share, compared with $770 million, or $1 per share in the same period last year. Revenue for the quarter decreased 1% to $2.81 billion, as intermodal and other revenue growth was more than offset by declines in merchandise, coal and fuel surcharge revenue.

CSX Corp. yesterday reported third-quarter 2020 net earnings declined 14% to $736 million, or 96 cents per share, compared with $856 million, or $1.08 per share, in the same period a year ago.

Revenue for the quarter fell 11% to $2.65 billion, as intermodal volume growth was more than offset by declines in coal and merchandise volumes, as well as lower fuel surcharge revenue.

Following heavy rains stemming from Hurricane Delta, a CSX train derailed yesterday, causing a fire and hazmat situation outside Atlanta.

Two CSX employees were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries, according to a statement from Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services. 

CSX last week published its 2019 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report, which highlights the railroad's sustainability actions on safety, environment, people, communities and governance.

The report addresses CSX's "record-setting" safety performance, achieving 2020 emissions reduction targets ahead of schedule, and CSX becoming the first Class I to operate at a fuel efficiency rate of less than one gallon of fuel per 1,000 gross ton miles for a quarter.

CSX has awarded a contract to Metso for the design, supply and installation of a rail-car dumper system that will be used to unload coal at the Curtis Bay Export Terminal in Baltimore.

The Metso Twin Cage Tandem Rotary Car Dumper System will include two complete dumper barrel assemblies, a complete hopper system with grizzlies, a unit train positioner operation and installation. The system is expected to be operational in October 2021, Metso officials said in a press release.

CSX will discontinue intermodal operations at its McKees Rocks facility near Pittsburgh, and has reached an agreement with Shell to lease the 70-acre property.

Shell will use the site for a storage-in-transit (SIT) rail facility, CSX spokeswoman Sheriee Bowman said yesterday in an email.

CSX Corp. yesterday announced first-quarter 2020 net earnings fell 8 percent to $770 million, or $1 per share, compared to $834 million, or $1.02 per share, in the same quarter last year. The Class I withdrew its outlook for the year because of ongoing economic uncertainty over the COVID-19 pandemic.

Operating revenue fell 5 percent to $2.86 billion during the quarter, as growth in merchandise revenue was more than offset by declines in coal and other revenue. Expenses dropped 7 percent year over year to $1.68 billion, driven by efficiency gains, CSX officials said in a press release.

Despite lower revenue, CSX posted a 3 percent increase in net earnings and a company record low operating ratio (OR) for third-quarter 2019 compared to the same period a year ago, the Class I reported yesterday.

Third-quarter revenue fell 5 percent to $2.98 billion, as merchandise revenue growth was more than offset by coal and intermodal declines. CSX decreased expenses by 8 percent year over year to $1.69 billion, driven by continued efficiency gains and volume related savings, CSX officials said in a press release.