Sit tight at crossings as coal train lengths double

October 16, 2015

coal_carMotorists’ wait time at U.S. rail crossings may double as CSX Corp. hooks trains together to boost efficiency amid plunging demand for coal shipments.

Bulk cargo is the latest focus in CSX’s effort to improve productivity. Getting more cars behind the locomotives is one way to do that — even if a longer, heavier load spends more time on the tracks.

“We’re actually combining two long trains” in some coal markets, Chief Executive Officer Michael Ward said in an interview Wednesday, Oct. 14. “Some of the trains can get to a couple of miles long.”

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