Tradepoint Atlantic, a 3,100-acre multimodal industrial site in Baltimore, Md., that features a unique combination of access to deepwater berths, railroads and highways, announced on Feb. 4, 2016 that Paul Thomas has been named Terminal Manager for its railroad. In this role, Thomas will be responsible for developing an operating and capital investment strategy for Tradepoint Atlantic’s short line railroad.
As CSX “continues to match network resources to business demand and drive additional efficiency,” the company announced Jan. 19, 2016 that it is consolidating its operations administration from ten divisions to 9 and closing administrative offices at Huntington, W.Va. Huntington Division administrative responsibilities will be reassigned to five adjoining divisions: Atlanta, Baltimore, Florence, Great Lakes and Louisville.
Norfolk Southern’s Jan. 12, 2015 announcement about consolidating its Pocahontas and Virginia divisions “is notable,” and CSX is facing “continued industrial challenges,” according to Cowen and Company Managing Director and Railway Age Wall Street Contributing Editor Jason Seidl.
CSX has appointed key leaders in the Sales and Marketing organization as it continues to focus on enhancing customer relationships and encouraging profitable growth, the company announced Jan. 11, 2016. Dean M. Piacente has been named Vice President-Intermodal; Clark Robertson, Vice President-Chemicals; and Tim McNulty, Vice President-Agriculture; all reporting to Fredrik J. Eliasson, Executive Vice President and Chief Sales and Marketing Officer.
In 2015, CSX worked with its customers to locate 107 new plants or expanded facilities on its rail network or its connecting short line partners, the railroad announced Jan. 7, 2016. These new projects comprise $2.2 billion in customer investments and are expected to generate approximately 1,500 new jobs in areas served by CSX.
CSX joined with Allegheny County officials, local and state partners and members of the Stowe Township and McKees Rocks communities on Dec. 4, 2015 to celebrate the construction of the Pittsburgh Intermodal Rail Terminal. The $60-plus million facility, which is expected to commence operations in 2017, will provide premier shipping logistics services to manufacturers and distributors in western Pennsylvania by supporting the reliable and efficient shift of long-haul freight from highway to rail, while strengthening the Commonwealth’s transportation infrastructure and driving the region’s economy, the railroad says.
CSX Chief Financial Officer Frank Lonegro on Nov. 10, 2015 reinforced the company’s 2015 guidance and outlined expectations for key markets in 2016 at the Baird Industrial Conference in Chicago, Ill.
On Nov. 12, 2015, Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association (REMSA) member Balfour Beatty Rail hosted Congressman Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) for a tour of its Jacksonville, Fla., facility and discussed public policy priorities for the rail industry at-large.
With quarterly operating income of $933 million, an operating ratio of 68.3%, and net earnings of $507 million, CSX posted record financial results for the third quarter of 2015.
CSX Corporation and two leading mechanical unions, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART), announced a landmark partnership on Sept. 28, 2015, “that will enhance benefits for CSX employees and further improve productivity.”