CSX wraps up rail safety maintenance 'Jamboree'

CSX Transportation earlier this week completed its 17th annual "Jamboree," a track safety and maintenance blitz that condenses months-worth of rail, tie, signal and bridge work on key corridors into one week.

During this year's Jamboree, CSX installed 55,400 ties and 217,000 feet of rail, surfaced more than 100 miles of track, and restored and performed maintenance on several bridges and grade crossings. Normally, that amount of work would take more than four months to complete, CSX officials said in a press release.

"The Maintenance Jamboree is a great testament to the dedication of our employees, who pull together to complete the work of many months in just a few short days to reduce the impact on our customers and communities," said Oscar Munoz, president and chief operating officer. "During the Jamboree, and all year long, CSX is committed to investing in our network to provide safe and efficient rail transportation today and serve freight demand in the future."

The blitz, which ran from June 29 to July 6, involved 14 production teams, as well as engineering, signal and bridge teams. Track work concentrated on two key southeastern corridors: between Shelby, Ky., and Spartanburg, S.C., and between Bostic, N.C., and Monroe, N.C.

CSX has conducted a Jamboree each year since 1999, when a machine operator coined the term to describe the mass gathering of maintenance-of-way crews and equipment in one area. This year's Jamboree is part of more than $2.5 billion worth of capital projects planned throughout the railroad's network.