Changes Coming on CSX

I just saw this on yardlimits.com:

The operation divisions will consolidated to the following four. Northern Region, based in Indianapolis, stretches from Chicago to Albany, NY. The Eastern Region, based in Florence, will stretch from Albany south to Jacksonville and beyond. The Western Region, based in Atlanta or Nashville, will stretch from Chicago to New Orleans. The fourth and final region will be a "Shortline" Region based in Jacksonville and will encompass all subdivisions not on the "Core" routes. Examples are the the lines in the coal fields, and lines that don't have much through traffic.

I'm surprised they B&A to the "Shortline Region". Are there THAT few trains left on it?

Not "THAT" few, but the line is functionally Selkirk-Worcester, and given the spinning off that's already happened and as an outsider's guess, there'll probably be more Mass Coastal and/or G&U expansions in the future as a means of further diminishing presence east of Worcester.

It also doesn't have any native MA-based power assignments anymore, and seems to have given up on the idea of their own engine house and service track in the Worcester area. They just borrow P&W's engine house across the street from Worcester when they have a spot problem to look at, and either refuel from tankers or reimburse P&W in their yard. Locos cycle in from Selkirk to Worcester, do a mini-residency on the Framingham locals, then cycle back out to Selkirk. Usually within the span of a single tank of diesel.

The G&U handoff of the Franklin-Milford weekly is happening...just not as quickly as expected because other business opportunities have preempted G&U's attention and CSX wants the new interchange revenue from that first. No action on shedding more Southeastern MA territory to MC yet, but that seems too inevitable the way corporate is retrenching to be that much longer a wait. And Houghton Chemical @ Beacon Park has their rail contract expiring in 2018 per recently signed agreement with Harvard U., meaning start placing your bets in 18 months on any possible maneuvering for Pan Am haulage of CSX's Everett Terminal customers so they can abolish the very last east-of-Framingham freight on the B&A.

At this point, nothing has been announced, and this is just rumors. It is a tad early to be selling off subdivisions based on the rumor mill.

Milford Branch sell-off to G&U was formally announced >4 years ago. It's delayed by G&U being preoccupied with service starts on its lucrative North Grafton propane transload, but G&U last year got its certificate of trackage rights for the sliver of MBTA territory they will intersect at Franklin runaround and rainy-day overhead rights up the Franklin Line to Walpole Yard. That one is definitely still a-go.

Interesting information on the B&A. I've heard traffic is down so much on the entire CSX system that the number of slow orders is at an all time low.

With all the emphasis CSX is placing on their Canadian Intermodal facility I am suprised that the subdivision to North of the Albany-Buffalo Primary Network is a Local Network line.

Excellent! Look at all those new shortlines coming soon! It will be nice to see GNWR RBMN etc. apply their magic to all those local lines and rejuvenate traffic.

I'm waiting for GWI to just take what's left of the western maryland, and merge it with MMID and yorkrail.

ccluster......I'm with you! The Dewitt to Montreal line could - in my opinion - be so much better off
with a regional / shortline type owner than what we have witnessed in the past 10 or so years. Conrail
wanted to sell it, now, I hope CSX (or CP) will sell it off. Anything would be better than what we have
now. Maybe such an owner would actually show some interest in the line and try to attract new customers.

The same can probably be said for every ex-Conrail secondary line.

CSX has done a great job of driving customers away on these lines!! I believe ultimately CSX wants to take a train from point A to point B and let someone else break the trains apart in the yards and deliver the freight cars to the customers on these lines...as long as it all works to CSX's advantage (meaning that they are the only RR to deliver the freight to those yards)!

knucklehead.......I agree. There could be business up here, but, CSX sure does not want it. A shortline or regional
would certainly have a better attitude toward local business.