Freight, passenger railroads in Florida prepare for Hurricane Milton

Freight and passenger railroads that operate in Florida issued service advisories yesterday and today ahead of tomorrow's anticipated landfall of Hurricane Milton. 

Milton has intensified into a major hurricane and is expected to make landfall along the west coast of the Florida Peninsula late Wednesday or early Thursday. 

Jacksonville-based CSX is implementing comprehensive safety protocols and readying its network to maintain operational continuity, company officials said in a customer advisory.

"At this time, all CSX yards and terminals are maintaining normal operations. Intermodal customers are encouraged to promptly pick up units network-wide that show as 'notified' in our ShipCSX portal," CSX officials said.

Norfolk Southern Railway is operating as scheduled in Florida, as there are no impacted service areas for the railroad.

"However, we expect high winds and heavy rains could impact rail operations in northern Florida as the storm moves through," NS officials said in their advisory. The Class I continues to monitor and prepare for the hurricane.

Meanwhile, passenger railroads are suspending some service. The Florida Department of Transportation has suspended SunRail commuter-rail service effective today. Crews will prepare the railway corridor and render it safe prior to the impending storm, according to a press release.

The passenger-rail company Brightline announced it will stop operations starting tomorrow between West Palm Beach and Orlando ahead of the hurricane's anticipated landfall. Brightline said service between all South Florida stations is expected to continue with 14 round-trips both days, local news media reported.

Amtrak has modified its train schedule for its Silver and Auto train routes in Florida starting today. "Despite our efforts, alternate transportation will not be available," Amtrak's advisory states.