NS
Across 22 states, more than 5,000 NS railroaders on the Class I’s Engineering team have worked more than one million man-hours and more than 50 consecutive days without a reportable injury, NS recently announced.
“As one team, with one mission and one goal – ZERO TODAY – their skill and dedication are keeping each other safe and protecting our network every day,” the Class I said.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment,” said Ed Boyle, VP Engineering. “It means all 5,000-plus NS Engineering teammates have made it home safely at the end of the day or the end of the week. We have fought through extreme winter weather system wide, several significant and challenging derailment responses, multiple broken rails, many treacherous callouts, and more to keep our trains moving around the clock. You name it, we have been through it. Most importantly, we have protected NS safely.”
CSX
CSX recently announced that Baltimore’s historic 125-year-old Howard Street Tunnel has officially closed for reconstruction as part of an initiative to modernize the nearly 8,700-foot-long tunnel and enable double-stack intermodal service along CSX’s I-95 Rail Corridor.
On Feb. 1, the project reached a significant milestone with the removal of rail spikes, marking the next phase of work on the Howard Street Tunnel Project. Scheduled for completion by the end of 2025, the initiative “aims to increase vertical clearance in the 125-year-old tunnel and address 22 additional obstructions along the corridor between Baltimore and Philadelphia, improving connectivity to key Midwest markets.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to alleviate a restriction on our network and open up new opportunities for CSX,” said Ed Sparks, CSX Chief Engineer of Bridge Design and Construction. “We’re starting something big today.”
The Howard Street Tunnel upgrades will enhance intermodal rail service on CSX’s I-95 corridor while better connecting the Seagirt Marine Terminal Intermodal Container Transfer Facility at the Port of Baltimore with interior distribution hubs, according to the Class I.
“It strengthens the Port of Baltimore’s competitiveness with other East Coast ports,” said Brandon Knapp, CSX senior director of Mid-Atlantic construction. “This project benefits CSX while also boosting the region’s economy.”
Knapp credited the milestone to collaboration across the company, describing the effort as a “complete ONE CSX” initiative. Teams from transportation, engineering, sales, and marketing have contributed to advancing the project, he said.
Safety remains a top priority as work accelerates, said Mike Cory, CSX Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
“We have a lot of people on this property, not all of them CSX employees, but we’re all one team,” Cory said. “We want this to be a completely injury- and accident-free project. It’s important to work safely, work smart, and look out for one another.”
The tunnel reconstruction is part of a larger partnership involving CSX, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the state of Maryland, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and other stakeholders. Once complete, it is expected to “enhance operational efficiency, bolster the competitiveness of CSX-served markets, and deliver economic benefits to the region.”
With progress well under way and completion set for the second half of 2025, CSX says it is moving closer to “achieving a modernized corridor that will drive growth for the company, its customers, and the surrounding community.”
Watch the video below to see the CSX team in action at the Howard Street Tunnel closure.
UP
“One of the best parts of my job is working with so many outstanding communities and leaders across Illinois and Wisconsin,” wrote UP Senior Director, Public Affairs in a LinkedIn post.
“Sterling, Illinois is one of those communities. It was fun to visit today to recognize Sterling as a Union Pacific Railroad “Train Town” and to thank Mayor Diana Merdian for all of the community’s help in making our Big Boy No. 4014 whistle stop a fun and safe event for more than 5,000 people last fall.”
