News & Reviews News Wire CSX, short lines in recovery mode after Hurricane Milton

CSX, short lines in recovery mode after Hurricane Milton

By Chase Gunnoe | October 11, 2024

Central, south Florida lines are out of service

Email Newsletter

Get the newest photos, videos, stories, and more from Trains.com brands. Sign-up for email today!

Train with blue and yellow locomotive in yard
CSX trains work at Yeoman Yard in Tampa, Fla., in 2017. CSX and Florida short lines are currently addressing repairs in the wake of Hurricane Milton. Scott A. Hartley

TAMPA, Fla. — Freight railroads from the Gulf Coast to Miami are still assessing damages and making repairs after Hurricane Milton made landfall near St. Petersburg, Fla., late Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane.

According to CSX’s most recent customer advisory, all routes north of Jacksonville, Fla., are open with no anticipated issues, as is the railroad’s mainline to Callahan, Fla., and south to near Anthony, Fla., on the railroad’s Wildwood Subdivision.

Washout repairs are still ongoing in central Florida on the railroad’s Carters Subdivision between Lakeland, Fla., and Auburndale, Fla., as well as its Vitis Subdivision between Lakeland, Fla., and Vitis Jct., near Richland, Fla.

CSX anticipates the 49-mile Central Florida Commuter Rail line, operated by Orlando’s SunRail and accessed by CSX via trackage rights, will reopen Friday night, providing a route into Winter Haven, Fla.

CSX has contingency plans in place for potential service issues caused by a gas pipe washout in the Miami region.

Florida East Coast Railway says its officials have thoroughly inspected the full length of the railroad and are making necessary repairs along Florida’s Atlantic coast. FEC’s intermodal terminals have reopened and are accepting incoming and outgoing traffic. Through freight and local carload service is still annulled until all repairs are completed, according to a customer update this morning (Friday, Oct. 11).

Short line railroads in the area continue to inspect track and assess damages.

Regional Rail, which operates four short line railroads across central Florida, spent much of Thursday inspecting track and assessing damages and the Seminole Gulf Railway in Sarasota, Fla., is conducting a final inspection today, with more information expected Monday.

— Updated at 9:50 a.m. CT with Florida East Coast information.

5 thoughts on “CSX, short lines in recovery mode after Hurricane Milton

  1. On Trains Forum–I contacted customer service: “Unfortunately, the website forums were linked to the SFG database for password authentication, we are now no longer connected to SFG due the change of ownership and the migration of customer service. Customers should be able to view forum discussions but are not able to post or reply to threads.

    A new community area is in the works, please await for upcoming announcements for further details.” In other words, the Forums exist, but, don’t fulfill the basic functions of forums.

    1. Maybe IT will finally recognize there is a problem. IMO it goes all the way back for the 504 fiasco?

    2. Just to beat a dead horse, Why doesn’t someone post ast the top of general discussion that it recognizes a problem and what is being done to correct the problem. As well a short post every week would be important.

  2. Still not able to log in to trams forum. If someone who can log in will PM me at blue streak 1 from the forum to see if we can trouble shoot this problem for access.

You must login to submit a comment