Railroads open 2025 dealing with heavy snow, ice from Great Plains to Northeast (update)

CHICAGO — Railroads are navigating the start of the New Year with a far-reaching winter weather system that resulted in measurable snowfalls from central Kansas to Maryland’s eastern seaboard. Kansas City received more than 12 inches of snow over the weekend and 6 to 12 inches of snow fell across much of central Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Areas of the Ohio River Valley and Appalachians received ice accumulations of greater than one-tenth of an inch.

Kansas City and St. Louis received the most snowfall, above a foot in most areas, while Indianapolis received 7 inches and Cincinnati, Ohio, saw about 9 inches. CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern’s rural Appalachian coal networks saw 5-7 inches and Baltimore faced similar accumulations as the storm drifted off the Atlantic Coast on Monday. In addition to wet snow accumulations, some areas with warmer air pockets saw minor ice accumulations, causing widespread downed trees and power outages.

The winter weather system rolled across at least one segment of each Class I railroads’ networks, just as railroads were looking to tally up their first full week of carloads in the New Year.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City says it is dealing with significant snowfall activity and cold temperatures in Kansas City and the surrounding areas.

“Our teams are working safely and diligently to minimize the impact to the CPKC network and our customers. Mainline train movements continue although customers in the Kansas City service area can expect delays of up to 24 hours during this weather event,” says CPKC spokesperson Terry Cunha.

Further east, despite the wide-reaching storm barreling down on much of CSX Transportation’s network, the railroad tells Trains News Wire there are no service disruptions as of Monday afternoon.

“CSX is preparing for the potential effects of Winter Storm Blair, which is forecast to move across the U.S., from the Midwest to the mid-Atlantic, bringing heavy snow and ice. Our team members are making certain that all necessary resources are in place to respond quickly and minimize potential disruptions,” says railroad spokesman Austin Staton.