CSXT annual coal route maintenance work complete
Written by jrood
Nearly 1,000 CSX Transportation engineering employees completed the annual coal route maintenance project the week of July 5. Track maintenance teams worked their way across the Appalachian coal route, which includes Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, New York, North Carolina and South Carolina. Demand for coal remains strong, and on a typical day as many as 50 trains make their way across this important corridor.
During this intense
maintenance operation, workers installed new rail, and more than 133,000 ties
covering nearly 113 miles of main line track, plus several auxiliary tracks.
Crews also re-surfaced an additional 150 miles of track and performed
maintenance on the seven tunnels and four bridges along the path – all
compressed into the span of 10 days.
This $20-million project
is one example of CSXT continuing to significantly invest in its rail network
to meet current and future transportation needs of its customers.
"This was a huge
undertaking of maintenance work for our employees," said Ricky Johnson, assistant
chief engineer of system production teams. "Our focus first and foremost
was getting this enormous amount of critical work done safely. And, in doing
so, we ensure that our customers can count on continued safe and efficient rail
service."
This planned maintenance
work keeps train reliability, safety and service high. The project is scheduled
annually when many coal mines traditionally close for summer break. If the work
were scheduled during normal curfew conditions, it could take up to 27 weeks to
complete with significant service disruptions.
