Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation are continuing to deal with the impacts of severe flooding in the southeastern U.S. that occurred earlier this week
An NS customer alert posted today (Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025) says the railroad is working to restore both tracks of its mainline west of Williamson, W.Va., on the which are out of service after an additional washout earlier today. No estimate for a full restoration of service is yet available. The railroad had said previously that its route between Portsmouth, Ohio, and Bluefield, W.Va., was impassable following weekend flooding [see “Major storm hits NS operations …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 16, 2025].
An embargo on new shipments that was issued on Sunday, Feb. 15, remains in effect, the railroad said, but does not impact intermodal, automotive, or coal/coke shipments.
CSX, meanwhile, on Monday informed customers that widespread areas “have experienced disruptions due to downed power lines, affected switches, and other storm-related issues. They include:
— Northeast Region: Baltimore; Buffalo; Cumberland, Md.; Selkirk, N.Y.; Syracuse, N.Y.; and Russell to Hinton, Ky.
— Midwest Region: Avon, Ind.; Chicago; Cincinnati; and Louisville, Ky.
— Southwest Region: Bruceton, Tenn.; Memphis, Tenn.; Montgomery, Ala.; and Nashville, Tenn.
CSX also said Waycross, Ga., is handling higher than normal traffic as a result of the issues elsewhere, which could cause some delays.
Canadian National is also dealing with flooding in Tennessee — the small town of Rives, Tenn., on its Fulton Subdivision, has sustained major damage following a levee break on Sunday — but the railroad has not responded to a News Wire request for information. That flooding has resulted in cancellation Monday and today of Amtrak’s City of New Orleans between Memphis, Tenn., and Carbondale, Ill.
