Ready the ballast trains: Railroads prepare for Hurricane Matthew

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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The projected path and intensity of Hurricane Matthew.
The Weather Channel

Hurricane Matthew, a Category 4 storm, is making its way to the southeast of the U.S. and is expected to bring torrential rain, damaging wind and potential devastation. The Weather Channel said the storm could strengthen to a Category 5 and is the strongest hurricane to hit Florida's east coast in 24 years.

 

Norfolk Southern, CSX and Amtrak have taken steps to ensure the safety of their workers, cargo and passengers.

Amtrak has suspended services temporarily; canceling trains between New York and Miami, as well as between Lorton, Va., and Sanford, Fla.

The storm is expected to hit the east coast of Florida before moving up the southeast coast where communities could be dealing with its effects through the weekend.

Two Class 1s, Norfolk Southern and CSX, have been repositioning equipment and cargo away from the storm’s path.

NS is currently moving shipments inland to secured rail yards and traffic in route is being held at various yards throughout the Norfolk Southern system in an effort to alleviate congestion in the affected regions.

“Norfolk Southern continues to monitor the storm closely and is taking precautions to protect employees, track and shipments in these areas,” the railroad said on its website. “In preparation, NS Engineering is staging resources, including ballast trains, equipment and generators, and will be prepared to commence storm recovery efforts once it is safe to do so.”

CSX has activated its Hurricane Operations Plan and says several division operating departments are making tactical plan changes and curtailments to proactively move as much freight as possible to minimize the impact of possible delays. During Hurricane Katrina, in 2005, CSX decentralized its dispatching operations to the individual divisions to better ensure continuity during extreme weather.

“Our first priority is the safety of our employees. We hope to maintain service to customers as long as it is safely possible. Our plan governs operational changes, personnel and asset allocation and company communication ahead of and during an extreme weather event,” said Kristin Seay, CSX corporate communications.

CSX’s Hurricane Action Plan includes the following precautions, but the railroad says the plan is not limited to the actions:

  • Operations on the main line from Auburndale, Fla. through Orlando and Sanford, Fla., areas into Jacksonville, Fla., will be suspended by late Thursday afternoon.
  • The main line from Jacksonville to Savannah, Ga., will be curtailed Friday morning.
  • The main line from Savannah to Pembroke, N.C. has been reduced to passenger and time critical operations only.
  • Switching operations in Savannah and Charleston, S.C. and Wilmington, N.C. have been halted until after the storm passes.

“As you can imagine, our customers with freight traveling through these areas will experience delays. We’re working closely with them to reroute traffic or make alternate arrangements as possible,” said Seay. “We are in close communication with passenger and commuter rail agencies in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas to support their planning and decision-making around any necessary service changes.

Seay also said CSX is pre-positioning assets, such as ballast trains, and planning for alternate work sites for critical personnel in jobs such as customer service, operations and crew management.

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