New Yard Opens Up on CSX
September 12, 2015
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CSX celebrated a major milestone in the company’s history recently by opening its first built-from-scratch yard in nearly 40 years. The new Casky Yard is in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. CSX has hired approximately 20 new Carmen at this location.
The first train arrived at Casky on June 26, 2015, the first of many that will connect the growing demand from the Illinois Basin coal traffic to utility providers in the southeast. The yard will also provide inspection and maintenance for grain trains, fueling for intermodal trains and service to other markets in the future as needed.
The yard incorporates cutting-edge features to maximize efficiency, including on-site locomotive fueling via trucks and the ability of car inspectors to drive ATVs to check rail cars. The yard is designed to handle longer trains and initially opened with four 10,000-foot inspection tracks in service – enough capacity to handle about 25 million tons of coal annually – but its modular design allows for expansion to as many as 10 tracks to support future growth.
The site also includes a full service car shop, a locomotive servicing truck facility with two 400,000-gallon fuel tanks and four 3,000-foot storage tracks for system and customer replacement cars.
The yard also features a state-of-the-art facility for the roughly 60 employees who report for duty at Casky, including a training room, break room, fitness facility and locker room with showers.
