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Rail cars can hold up to 3 times more than a truck, so it means lower costs and greater efficiency.
Rail is safe, environmentally friendly and the right alternative to highways.

How can rail -- and CSX -- work for you?

• Why CSX?
• Do you have direct access to track?
• How does the shipping process work?
• What kind of freight moves by rail?
• How much does it cost?
• What is the transit time for a shipment?
• Which kind of rail car is right?

Why CSX?  

At CSX, our resources are at your service:

• People - focused, energized people work together to meet your needs.


• Service - economical freight rail transportation, and through affiliated companies, transcontinental Intermodal service (CSX Intermodal ) and transloading and distribution services (TRANSFLO).


• Network - one of the largest rail networks in the United States, with more than 21,000 miles of track in 23 states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces; and access to 70 ports. See our system map.

No matter what or where you're shipping, CSX can deliver.

Do you have direct access to track?  

If you are located on railroad tracks, you can load freight onto or into rail cars, which deliver your freight to destination. This is carload service.

However, you don't have to be located on railroad tracks to take advantage of the economies of shipping by rail.

If you don't have direct access to tracks, intermodal service or TRANSFLO may be the solution.

• With intermodal service, your freight is loaded into trailers, which are trucked to the railroad and loaded onto a train. When the train reaches the destination, the trailers are loaded back onto a truck and delivered to the site of your choice. Visit CSX Intermodal to learn more.


• With TRANSFLO, truckloads of product are consolidated and transferred onto rail cars. At the shipment destination, the product is transferred from the rail cars to trucks, which can deliver to multiple non-rail-served locations. To learn more, visit TRANSFLO.

To purchase or locate a business at a rail-served facility, contact our Regional Development group.

How does the shipping process work?  

CSX's four-step process for shipping is designed around the way you do business, so the activities involved in moving freight flow smoothly for you.

Step 1: Plan. Look up prices, order empty cars for loading.
Step 2: Ship. Get your shipment moving with shipping instructions, submit requests for cars to be picked up or placed at a facility.
Step 3: Trace. Monitor your shipments, be advised of exceptions.
Step 4: Pay. Manage CSX payables information.

CSX requires that you use electronic tools to conduct shipping transactions. To help you Plan, Ship, Trace and Pay for your shipments quickly and accurately, CSX eBusiness tools are available in several formats. Learn more >

What kind of freight moves by rail?  

You can ship just about anything by rail. In fact, take a look around you right now -- you'll find yourself surrounded by products that are shipped by rail.

Commodities we move include:

• Agricultural products


• Building products


• Coal


• Consumer goods


• Food products


• Machinery


• Metals


• Minerals


• Paper, pulp and fiber

How much does it cost?  

Shipping freight by rail is economical -- rail cars can carry up to 3 times as much as a truck.

• To get a price for a shipment, use the public ShipCSX Price Look-Up tool.
  You will need to know:
  
  • the origin of the shipment and the railroad that serves that location
  • the destination of the shipment and the railroad that serves that location
  • the commodity you are shipping
• Or check CSX price lists that show prices, by commodity, for moves on CSXT.
• You also may want to review the 8100 Tariff, which gives details on supplement services. Special charges may apply for supplemental services like switching and demurrage.

Do you need assistance with rail pricing? Contact our New Business Development team at NBD@csx.com, or call 1-877-ShipCSX (1-877-744-7279), option 5, option 1.

What is the transit time for a shipment?  

Whether you're shipping one car or a whole train, we work hard to make sure your shipments arrive on time.

• Check shipment transit schedules for moves between any CSX-served locations with the public ShipCSX Service Schedule tool.

Which kind of rail car is right?  

As a CSX customer, you have access to a fleet of more than 100,000 rail cars. Different car types have special features for shipping specific products.

Following is a list of commodities and the rail cars used for transporting them.
Click on the car type for more details.

Commodity	Car Type
Rolled paper, pulp, newsprint, building materials, appliances, food products, bagged and palletized loads, grain products	50' Standard Boxcar
Newsprint, auto parts, scrap paper, building materials, and bagged products	60' Standard Boxcar
Larger rolled paper, plus all the commodities handled in a 50' standard boxcar	50' Hi-Roof Boxcar
Larger rolled paper products, chemicals, rubber, dimensional building products	60' Hi-Roof Boxcar
Beer, wine, canned goods, food products, clay, cat litter, dog food, salt, and other bagged, palletized commodities	50' Insulated Boxcar
Structural steel, pipe, steel plate and some lumber materials	62' Bulkhead Flatcar
Bulk commodities like grain, fertilizer, flour, salt, sugar, clay, and lime	Jumbo Covered Hopper
Coal, coke, stone, sand, ores, gravel	Open-Top Hopper
Scrap metal, aggregates and other bulk commodities	52' Plain Gondola
Structural steel and other types of finished steel products	65' Plain Gondola
Coiled sheet steel	Covered Coil Gondola
Lumber, wallboard and other dimensional products	73' Centerbeam Flat Car
Wood chips	Bottom Dump or Rotary Dump Woodchip Hopper
Unprocessed wood for the manufacture of wood products, pulp board and paper	Long Log Flat Car