After Hurricane Katrina, CSX decentralized its dispatching operations to the individual divisions. Now for Hurricane Matthew, the company, headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., watches closely whether the storm makes an unprecedented curve back to Florida.
The Hurricane Action Plan includes the following precautions and actions:
*Operations on the main line from Auburndale, FL through Orlando, FL and Sanford, FL areas into Jacksonville, FL are suspended.
*The main line from Jacksonville, FL to Savannah, GA has been curtailed.
*The main line from Savannah, GA to Pembroke, NC has been reduced to passenger and time critical operations only.
*Switching operations in Savannah, GA, Charleston, SC and Wilmington, NC have been halted until after the storm passes.
Additionally, CSX says it is in close communication with passenger and commuter rail agencies in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas to support their planning and decision-making around any necessary service changes. CSX has also pre-positioned ballast trains, and established alternate work sites for critical personnel in jobs such as customer service, operations and crew management.
CSX says its plan governs operational changes, personnel and asset allocation, and company communication ahead of and during the Hurricane Action Plan. Several division operating departments made tactical plan changes and curtailments to proactively move as much freight as possible to minimize the impact of possible delays, which may include additional delays if the storm loops back to Florida.