CSX customers planned capital projects totaling $9.5 billion last year

CSX customers in 2016 planned $9.5 billion worth of facilities located on the railroad's network or connecting short lines, the Class I announced yesterday.

CSX worked with customers to announce 114 new or expanded facilities along its lines. Projects included a new automative plant and an ethane cracker facility. The projects are expected to generate 8,100 new jobs in areas served by CSX, according to a company press release.

"We also saw strong activity that generated other energy projects as well as facility construction or expansion to support agriculture and intermodal markets," said Derrick Smith, CSX vice president-strategic business development. "These projects rely heavily on the teamwork among CSX and the local, county and state economic development professionals who ensure these projects are completed successfully. We thank them for that collaboration."

Once operational, the facilities are projected to generate more than 136,000 new annual carloads for CSX. In addition to the projects that will be built over the next several years, more than 100 customer facilities launched operations on CSX lines in 2016.

CSX customers have invested in more than $51 billion worth of rail-served facilities since 2000.