CSX to consolidate operating divisions, close Huntington office

CSX Corp. announced yesterday that it's consolidating operations administration from 10 divisions to nine divisions and closing administrative offices in Huntington, W.Va.

Huntington Division administration will be reassigned to the Atlanta, Baltimore, Florence, Great Lakes and Louisville divisions, the company said in a press release.

The consolidation is necessary to match network resources to business demand and increase efficiency. Primarily serving customers in West Virginia, Tennessee and Ohio, the Huntington territory encompasses Central Appalachian coal fields, which have been significantly affected by low natural gas prices and regulatory actions, CSX officials said.

The Huntington locomotive shop, yards and other facilities will continue operations, and CSX will continue to run trains over the territory.

The 121 management and union employees who work at the Huntington Division offices will remain employed in the area during the transition over the next several months. When the transition is completed, many employees will have opportunities to fill positions elsewhere in the CSX network.

Over the past four years, CSX's coal revenue has declined $1.4 billion. CSX maintains more than 2,000 miles of track in West Virginia and handled more than 1.7 million carloads of freight in the state in 2014.