Norfolk Southern, CSX monitor east’s first tropical storm (updated)

LAKE CITY, Fla. — Eastern railroads have marked the beginning of another hurricane season, as Hurricane Debby hit the made landfall between Tallahassee and Jacksonville, Fla., today (Monday, Aug. 5) and subsequently was downgraded to a strong tropical storm.

The storm brought 70-mph winds and heavy rains across Pinsley Railroad Corp.’s Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad, which operates former CSX trackage in the state’s panhandle. More than 6 inches of rain had already fallen in the panhandle, with another 4 inches expected.

As the storm and outer rain bands push northeast, it will roll across Norfolk Southern’s Valdosta District between Jacksonville and Valdosta, Ga., and then southeast of Waycross, Ga., a major hub for CSX Transportation, where up to 8 inches of rain is expected. It is forecast to continue east across the Georgia port cities of Brunswick and Savannah on Tuesday.

As of this afternoon, operations were continuing normally for Class I railroads Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation.

“Currently, there are no impacted service areas and Norfolk Southern is operating as scheduled,” spokeswoman Katelyn Bird tells Trains News Wire. “However, high winds and heavy rains could impact rail operations in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Our terminals will continue to operate under normal hours and Norfolk Southern will monitor the storm closely and take precautions to protect employees, track, and shipments as needed.”

CSX, in a statement, said it is “closely monitoring Hurricane Debby as it advances across northeast across Florida and into Georgia. Ahead of the storm, CSX proactively implemented measures to protect our employees, rail infrastructure, and the communities in which we operate. The dedicated CSX team is working diligently to ensure minimal service disruption and maintain the highest standards of safety.

“Customers have been advised to expect minor delays to traffic originating and terminating in the Southeast region. At this time, the CSX network is still moving and all intermodal terminals are maintaining normal gate hours and lift operations. ​​​​​​CSX will advise if changes in conditions impact lift operations or gate hours at any of our facilities.”

“Florida Gulf & Atlantic’s hurricane prep list went into play over the weekend,” says Cassie Dull, chief commercial officer of Pinsly, the parent company of the Florida Gulf & Atlantic. The company has mobilized chainsaws and other equipment and materials, as well as secured crossings, in preparation for Debby. The short line has not yet done inspections since the storm only made landfall Monday morning, but once they know impacts, Dull says they will update customers and finalize operations, sending out a notice to Class I partner CSX.

Amtrak, meanwhile, has cancelled or abbreviated the routes of a number of departures set for Tuesday, Aug. 6, because of  the storm, according to the Amtrak Alerts feed on X.com. These include Auto Train in both directions; the Silver Star and Silver Meteor in both directions between New York and Jacksonville, and the Palmetto in both directions between Savannah, Ga., and Washington, D.C.

— Updated Aug. 6 at 9:05 a.m. with Pinsly comment on Florida Gulf & Atlantic operations. Trains editor David Lassen contributed to this report.