Blue Ridge Subdivision Recovery

About Us

Welcome to our dedicated page on the story of rebuilding CSX's Blue Ridge Subdivision following Hurricane Helene. We are proud to share the significant strides we made in rebuilding and restoring this vital area in less than a year. The CSX team, in close collaboration with state and federal agencies, is committed to ensuring the Blue Ridge Subdivision returns to full operational capacity. Below, you’ll find valuable information and updates on the progress of our recovery efforts, reflecting our unwavering dedication to both safety and community resilience.

As of September 25, 2025, the Blue Ridge Subdivision returned to service.

Project Overview

As a result of Hurricane Helene, approximately 60 miles of CSX railroad in Tennessee and North Carolina was severely affected by flooding and suffered extensive damage. This line handles approximately 14 million gross tons of freight annually and is critical to supporting families and serving businesses throughout the southeast region of the United States.

CSX fully recognized the importance of the Nolichucky River and continued its collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USDA Forest Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife, other state and federal agencies, as well as the community to ensure the rail infrastructure was recovered and restored in the safest and most environmentally responsible way.

CSX has been working closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Nashville and Wilmington districts), the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and the North Carolina Division of Water Resources (NC DWR). Permits have been issued for activities in North Carolina and Tennessee.

During the recovery process, a highly skilled team of engineers and environmental specialists were deployed during the project to support recovery and restoration efforts.

Project Map

The project involved safely retrieving track material from the Nolichucky River and responsibly rebuilding the rail bed, bridges, and culverts. A map of the project area is shown below, showcasing the extent of the damaged rail line.

As of September 25, 2025, all sections that were impacted by Hurricane Helene have reopened for service.

Note: Location is marked along the track as a milepost, which was used during railroad operations to document distance and critical markers. For this recovery project, the mileposts are used to designate work boundaries.

Recovery and Reconstruction Process

The process of railroad recovery and construction is complex and heavily influenced by terrain and environmental conditions. The damage caused by Hurricane Helene included large sections of railbed and track structures that were washed out or destroyed. Initial damage assessments indicated that some areas required complete reconstruction in a mountainous environment.

Recovery and reconstruction projects are generally conducted in multiple phases: damage assessment, recovery of track materials, site access, railbed reconstruction, track reconstruction, track repairs, and final inspections, which all supports the return of freight rail service to this corridor.

Recovery of Track Materials

The safe removal of track materials included rail, crossties, bridge spans, railbed fill material, and other equipment from the Nolichucky and North Toe rivers. Some of the salvaged material has been recycled for use in the reconstruction.

Gaining Site Access

Many sections of railbed throughout the project area were completely washed away in the storm, leaving crews without access to vast areas of the Nolichucky gorge.

To achieve complete access to all areas as fast as possible, crews along the gorge’s eight-mile area reconstructed the railbed mile by mile and, by June 2025, had closed the gap between the two sides of the project.

Railbed Reconstruction

Track Reconstruction

Bridges Impacted

Three bridges were impacted in the Nolichucky gorge area, with two requiring major reconstruction. The first bridge was south of Chestoa and sustained damage to the concrete piers and embankment, but the bridge itself was not significantly damaged. The second bridge was a 60-foot span at the Tennessee and North Carolina state line which was reconstructed to provide equipment access to areas south. This bridge was refabricated by CSX Bridge Shop in Barboursville, West Virginia; reconstructed; placed onsite; and functional for recovery operations – all in less than two months.

The third bridge in Poplar was a nearly 530-foot railroad bridge and was almost completely washed out during the flood. This bridge was originally constructed with six bridge spans and CSX was able to recover all spans and reuse four of the original six spans. The total reconstruction, which included raising and hardening the piers with a protective fiber wrap as well as the placement of seven spans, was completed in June 2025. A video showing the installation of the Poplar Bridge is viewable online.

Poplar Bridge Rebuilding Process

After repairs to the bridge spans and piers were completed, a crane lifted the spans into place and secured them to the piers. Track panels were then installed along the entire length of the bridge and joined with the track on both sides of the river. Watch the video above for more details on the Poplar Bridge reconstruction process.

Project Timeline

Note: The timeline references the phases of reconstruction and the estimated dates. For a more detailed look into the specific sections and their current progress, please reference the Reconstruction Sections and Timeline chart below.

Environmental Stewardship

CSX is committed to environmental compliance and strives to protect the environment and the safety and health of the public, customers, and employees in all aspects of the company’s operations. All reconstruction activities were conducted under the oversight of federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USDA Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Project permit documentation can be found in the Additional Resources and Permits section of this page.