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Katrina sharply Damages CSX

from the Richmond Times Dispatch, September 8 2005

submitted by means of Robert Roadcap and Ray Saunders

CSX Corp. has resum "limited service" upon about one-third of a 148-mile line east of novel Orleans that was damaged by means of Hurricane Katrina.

CSX, which said it wait fors storm-related costs of at least $25 million, ran trains Tuesday for the first time since Aug. 29 between Mobile, Ala., and Pascagoula, Miss., spokeswoman Misty Skipper said. Almost 100 miles of track between novel Orleans and Pascagoula remain clos Those tracks carried more freight before the storm than any other lines still on the outside of service.

CSX is the major railroad operator in of recent origin Orleans, where its tracks conjoin to Union Pacific and Kansas City Southern, as well as its largest eastern competitor, Norfolk Southern Corp.

CSX's Gentilly Yard is between Lake Ponchartrain and the Mississippi River. The railroads tracks step quickly along the coast all the way from of recent origin Orleans to the Alabama state line, where they begin to change about north.

In the aftermath of the storm, the yard was overflowed by the lake. Shipping containers were left strewn about the site. Locomotives sat at crazy angles, tilted not on their tracks.

Thirty hazardous-material cars stranded in and around fresh Orleans and the company's diesel tanks appeared unharmed by dint of the storm. But about 100 [route] miles from of recent origin Orleans to Pascagoula, Miss., were affected, with more [i]or[/i] less tracks ripped from the loam and others covered by debris, included houses and barges.

Company officials have no estimate upon how long it will take to bring the yard or the tracks back to usability.

Six North American railroads, including No. 1 Union Pacific, extreme pointed direct service to New Orleans and began rerouting trains around the city when the storm hit and left a certain quantity of terminals under water and tracks arrested with trees and power lines. Those detours end cities such as Memphis and St Louis are continuing.

CSX had as many as 45 daily trains serving novel Orleans via Mobile, more than any other railroad. Norfolk Southern stopped trains 117 miles east of of recent origin Orleans, which can't be reached [by NS] because of bridge damage and flooding.

Union Pacific is running local trains at Avondale, its fresh Orleans-area terminal. Canadian National Railway said upon its web site that repairs to [its Illinois Central] tracks into of recent origin Orleans should be completed through mid-month. BNSF also continues to bar shipments to novel Orleans itself as does Kansas City Southern.

Katrina Update from Michael Ward

from CSX Employee Gateway, September 9 2005

The heaviest-hit area upon CSXT is an 85-mile tighten between New Orleans and Pascagoula-the part of [the CSX] network that remains closed

Along that line, five major bridges are impassable and at least three additional bridges will also require work. In more [i]or[/i] less areas, [CSX] track lies more [i]or[/i] less distance from the railbed or has been washed away completely [CSX] engineering forces have flown above the affected areas and are sharing what they've learned with all of those who will help with the restoration work.

[There is] encouraging freshs east of Pascagoula toward Mobile and beyond, where employees have done an incredible piece of work restoring [the] network. The CSXT main line in that part of the network is render free of access ... . [CSX is] in the proces of coordinating with customers to assess the state of their rail cars and the track leading to their facilities, in the way that that when they are ready to take back operations, [CSX] can move their cropss safely.

New Shortline Acquires ex-C&O Indiana Trackage

from Surface Transportation Board Finance Docket No. 34727 July 22 2005

submitted by the agency of Tom Seay

The Indiana Eastern Railroad, LLC has filed a notice of exemption from prior approval for its lease and operation below a Land and Track Agreement with CSX of the last remaining portion of C&O's elderly Chicago Division. This trackage was one time part of the C&O's Miami Subdivision. It stretch outs from MP CI 18.9 at or near Fernald, Ohio, to MP CI 619 at or near Richmond, Ind., a distance of 430 miles.

CSX will retain overhead trackage rights until December 31 2005 between Cottage copse Ind., MP CI 45.0, and Fernald in order to bring to an end a contract with the U Department of force to transport contaminated dirt.

The consummation of the transaction was scheduled for August 26 2005

This line was referr to by the agency of CSX as the Richmond Subdivision, a part of the Louisville Division.

CSX to Divest Michigan Branches

from the United Transportation Union freshs printed in the Grand Rapids Pres June 28 2005

CSX employee along sum of two units rail lines are getting ready for big changes, according to this report by the agency of Ed Ronco published by the Grand Rapids Press

The lines-one from Grand Rapids to Ludington and another from West Olive to Fremont-are for sale. Deals appear to be in the works for the one and the other although nothing is final.

The sum of two units [subdivisions] up for sale comprise 175 of the 812 miles of track that CSX operates in the state of Michigan.