CSX on June 10 reported reaching “a new milestone,” posting a May 2025 Process Dwell Time (PDT) of 20.01 hours—a slight improvement from its previous PDT low of 20.47 hours in January 2024, but a “significant improvement” from 2024’s average PDT of 21.36 hours and its lowest PDT since October 2023’s 19.8 hours.
PDT measures the duration, in hours, a railcar spends at a station or terminal location, starting from its arrival (either released by a customer, through interchange, or train arrival) until its departure (either departing on a train, being set on another interchange, or placed at a customer’s location). This time includes various operations such as switching, train assembly and departure preparation. Lower PDTs, CSX explained, “reflect greater efficiency and reliability within railroad operations.”
During the past year, CSX said it “has faced a range of challenges” that affected service metrics. Major nfrastructure projects—including rebuild of 60 miles of Blue Ridge Subdivision track following the devastation of Hurricane Helene, and work on the Howard Street Tunnel reconstruction—“temporarily slowed network operations. Compounding these issues were ongoing weather disruptions, which further tested the network’s resilience.”
CSX acknowledged that although 2025 began with lower operating metrics, its “unwavering focus on improvement” allowed operations to rebound in May. Trip Plan Compliance (TPC)—defined by CSX as “the ability to meet end-to-end (origin-destination) commitments for moving customer shipments”—reached 82.5% in May, representing the highest monthly TPC since December 2024, when TPC peaked at 82.7%. Among the initiatives CSX noted it has implemented in recent months:
- “Additional Locomotive Resources. CSX reintroduced 45 locomotives from storage and commissioned 20 additional rebuilds in April. These enhancements are strengthening fleet capacity and ensuring smoother operations across the network.
- “Revised Engineering Curfews. By adjusting engineering curfew schedules to align with natural train windows, CSX minimized the impact of maintenance work on daily operations, improving overall service flow.
- “Optimizing Car Fleets. The team removed 800 cars from Maintenance-of-Way service and placed another 1,200 cars, primarily hoppers and intermodal equipment, into storage. This effort allowed CSX to redirect essential assets back into the network and keep operations nimble. Additionally, cars were actively pushed offline and to customers to streamline the supply chain.
- “Employee Availability and Utilization. CSX established temporary transfers at 13 locations and consolidated extra boards at eight sites to optimize crew utilization. Senior leadership is also directly engaging employees with availability issues to reinforce the importance of their full-time contributions, further stabilizing workforce operations.
- “External Collaborations. Partnerships with customers and short-line railroads have been key to success. By pre-blocking traffic and increasing interchange frequency, CSX ensures better synchronization and efficiency across its network. Additionally, by closely collaborating with customers, CSX provided the necessary services to help reduce inventories that had accumulated during industry disruptions, supporting a smoother operational flow and meeting customer needs effectively.”
“Our dedicated ONE CSX team continues to focus on delivering exceptional service to our customers, even as we manage complex infrastructure projects and overcome challenges resulting from weather-related events,” said Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Mike Cory. “These efforts are enhancing our ability to meet [TPC] commitments, strengthening our foundation for continued improvements in service and reliability.”
Further Reading:
- The State of the Rails: Memorial Day Effect, CPKC IT Cutover
- Temporary Western Intermodal Slump Continues; CSX Update
- ‘China Air Pocket’; CSX Recovery Update
- CSX Road to Recovery Should Gain Steam in 2026
- CSX Operational Recovery, Week 4
- CSX Operational Recovery: Another Week of Good Progress
- Western Railroads Getting Leaner and Fitter
- CSX: 2024 ‘Had its Challenges’
