CSX customers invested more than $3.5 billion in these projects, which are expected to generate nearly 5,800 new jobs in local communities and approximately 161,000 annual carloads of new business for CSX.
“In 2014, the bulk of customer investments along our network involved expanding and improving infrastructure for the energy sector,” said CSX Assistant Vice President Regional Development Clark Robertson. “Low natural gas prices are also fueling more downstream projects in the chemicals and fertilizer arena, as well as other manufacturing industries. We’ve seen investments from domestic and multinational companies along our rail network, in part due to the CSX network’s ability to reach nearly two-thirds of American consumers. We see strong indicators that this robust activity will continue into 2015.”
Over the past decade, CSX customers have invested more than $30 billion in rail-served facilities, creating more than 36,000 jobs across the company’s 23-state network.
“State and local economic development agencies also play a pivotal role in supporting economic opportunities for new manufacturing facilities,” Robertson said. “We appreciate their assistance in helping our customers access our 21,000-mile rail network and the benefits that freight rail provides, including improving their environmental footprint and helping to reduce wear and tear on public roads.”