Sustainable Infrastructure

Strategic investment in transportation infrastructure is urgently needed to help prepare our nation for economic growth and to maintain our competitiveness in the global economy. Population growth is expected to trigger increased demand, which will strain our transportation infrastructure.
 
As we look ahead and plan for these challenges, CSX is working with states along our network to leverage the benefits of freight rail transportation.

Positive Train Control (PTC)

The 2008 Railroad Safety Improvement Act requires that Class I railroads implement positive train control systems on passenger routes and lines with one or more TIH (toxic by inhalation hazard) cars and traffic greater than 5 million gross tons annually. PTC is designed to automatically warn a locomotive engineer of the need for action, engage locomotive brakes and bring the train to a full stop in the unlikely event that an engineer fails to act. Specific functions of PTC include preventing over-speed derailments and train-to-train collisions, protecting track workers, and preventing movement through misaligned switches. Development of PTC technology is under way at CSX, where it will affect locomotives, wayside devices and more than 16,000 miles of track. Implementation deadline across the railroad industry is December 31, 2015. 

Learn more about PTC:

PTC 101 - A primer for PTC at CSX (PDF)

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 

Association of American Railroads (AAR)

The National Gateway

In 2008, CSX launched the National Gateway, a multi-state infrastructure project designed to improve the flow of freight between the Mid-Atlantic and the Midwest.

We can achieve this goal by upgrading tracks, equipment and facilities, and by raising bridges, increasing tunnel clearances and building terminals along an existing rail corridor to support the movement of double-stacked containers – or containers stacked 2 high – on rail cars.

Although initially launched by CSX, this innovative public-private partnership has earned support from a coalition of public and private sector leaders, including governors and regional officials across 6 states, dozens of members of Congress, 3 port authorities, and dozens of global shippers, ocean carriers, business organizations and environmental groups.

This approximately $850 million partnership includes about $575 million in funding from CSX, with the remainder being funded from state and federal funds. Those National Gateway funds drive public benefits for the nation – every dollar of public money invested in the project returns $36 of public benefit.

The National Gateway will improve American competitiveness in global markets, create more than 50,000 jobs, reduce transportation-related emissions by 20 million tons, and alleviate congestion on roads and highways.

To learn more about the National Gateway, visit www.nationalgateway.org .

Massachusetts Commuter Rail Expansion Plan

Massachusetts and CSX are working together on a comprehensive multi-year rail transportation plan to expand commuter and freight rail service in Massachusetts, which will strengthen the state's transportation infrastructure and improve its position in global economic markets.

This agreement is a public-private partnership between business and government in which existing freight rail infrastructure becomes a 21st-century sustainable solution for commuters and businesses. This project also will reduce pollution by taking cars and trucks off Massachusetts roads and could generate nearly 1,000 jobs for the state.

The agreement also establishes New England’s first double-stack rail route, enabling double-stack service to begin on CSX’s rail lines into Massachusetts. The line will connect with CSX’s double-stack route running to the Midwest and connections with rail lines to ports on the West Coast, opening more markets and creating more efficient freight service for Massachusetts businesses and consumers.

Worcester
CSX is reinvesting more than $100 million to modernize and expand the existing intermodal terminal in the city of Worcester, positioning the city to become a major logistics hub in New England and support long-term economic growth. Learn more about the Worcester project at www.railworcester.com .

Westborough
CSX affiliate TRANSFLO is investing $18 million to locate a modern bulk-transfer facility at the site of a former auto terminal in the town of Westborough. The facility will use the existing footprint of the former auto terminal and create an environmentally secure site in an industrial area. Learn more about the Westborough project at www.railwestborough.com .