STB OKs plan to increase CSX traffic between Indianapolis, Louisville

The Surface Transportation Board approved on April 10 a joint proposal by Louisville & Indiana Railroad (L&I) and CSX Transportation to upgrade a key freight corridor between Indianapolis and Louisville, Ky.

CSX will invest $100 million — about $90 million in improvements to the 106-mile line and $10 million to L&I for the right to use the track, according to WDRB.com.

The upgrades also will provide the Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville with better access to freight-rail service, railroad officials said in a joint press release.

"These upgrades will benefit L&I and CSX customers in the Midwest and across the companies' networks by improving operational efficiency, allowing more direct transit across Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, and reducing congestion in those states," said Oscar Munoz, CSX's president and chief operating officer. "The privately funded upgrades, which will include the installation of new rail, upgrades to the rail bed structure and bridge improvements, will enhance service and capacity on this rail line."

Since 2000, CSX trains have been using a 52-mile portion of the corridor between Louisville and Seymour, Ind., en route to Cincinnati.

Based in Jeffersonville, Ind., L&I is a subsidiary of Anacostia Rail Holdings.

"This project enhances critical rail infrastructure that connects local customers to America’s freight transportation network, supporting local manufacturing, economic development, jobs and competitiveness," said Peter Gilbertson, chairman and chief executive officer of Anacostia Rail.

For more information about the project, read this article that was published in Progressive Railroading's September 2013 issue.