CSX - The Efficiency of Rail Transportation

By Clarence Gooden

Introduction

For more than four decades, Clarence Goodman has been an integral member of the staff of the CSX Corporation, the nation’s third-largest railroad. Since 2004, he has held the position of chief commercial officer and executive vice president of sales and marketing. Throughout his tenure in that position, Clarence Goodman has relentlessly championed the perspective of the railroad’s customers as the company’s reason for being. CSX’s revenue has grown by more than $4 billion, more than 50 percent over the 10-year period.

CSX Corporation

CSX proudly proclaims in its advertising that rail is the most fuel-efficient means of transporting goods and boasts that its trains can move a ton of freight 436 miles on a single gallon of fuel. The minimal friction of steel wheels on a steel track means that once a freight train is running on level ground, it requires hardly any fuel at all to maintain its speed.

Conclusion

CSX is dedicated to enhancing the fuel efficiency of its rail fleet and has invested more than $1.5 billion over the last 10 years in four key areas. The first of these is training employees in best practices of fuel-efficient train handling. The second is the improvement of technology to regulate fuel use while engines are idling. The third and fourth areas are the enhancement of locomotive fleet technology as well as the development of new technology in all areas of train operations.