Fortune has once again placed CSX its “World’s Most Admired Companies” list for 2025 in the Transportation sector, bumping the Class I railroad up one spot, from 6th to 5th, globally. This annual recognition, in partnership with Korn Ferry, “celebrates corporate excellence and is widely regarded as one of the most reputable assessments of company performance and reputation,” CSX said. “The achievement underscores CSX’s continued commitment to innovation, service quality and leadership in the transportation industry.”
“Our inclusion on Fortune’s 2025 list and improvement in our industry ranking underscore the strength of our ONE CSX team, our strategy and our focus on creating long-term value for our stakeholders,” said CSX President and CEO Joe Hinrichs, Railway Age 2025 Railroader of the Year. “It is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of everyone at CSX.”
The methodology behind Fortune’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” ranking “is thorough and data-driven, highlighting only the best in class,” CSX noted. “Fortune and Korn Ferry began the process with approximately 1,500 companies, including the 1,000 largest U.S. firms by revenue and key international players from Fortune’s Global 500 database, each earning at least $10 billion in annual revenue. From there, the list was refined to 650 companies across 30 countries, representing the highest revenue earners in each industry.
“To evaluate companies, Korn Ferry surveyed 3,380 executives, directors, and analysts, focusing on nine criteria that reflect corporate strength and reputation. These range from financial performance, management quality and innovation to responsibility to the community and the ability to recruit top talent. Each company needed to score in the top half of its industry to earn placement on the list. For particularly competitive industries, only the highest-performing companies made the cut.”
CSX said the improvement in its transportation industry ranking “reflects the company’s ongoing efforts to deliver exceptional results across multiple dimensions. Our forward-thinking approach, operational excellence and dedication to sustainability have made it a standout in the transportation industry. This achievement also highlights CSX’s ability to strengthen its reputation while continuing to adapt to evolving industry challenges. Our place among the world’s most admired companies signals a bright future for and promises further success as we continue to innovate and lead in the years ahead.”
