Eastern Railroad Discussion > NS vs CSXT Chicago to Atlanta and Jacksonville Question

Good Afternoon:

Does NS or CSXT have the fastest route to Atlanta, GA and Jacksonville, FL? Which railroad handles UPS traffic between those points?

Thank you in advance.

CSX’s Atlanta - Chicago intermodal, Q028, makes the non-stop run (other than crew changes) in 31 hours.
NS’s Atlanta - Chicago intermodal, 216, makes the run in 34 hours.  It works Austell and Cincinnati en route.

CSX’s Jacksonville - Chicago intermodal, Q026, makes the non-stop run (other than crew changes) in 40 hours.
NS’s Jacksonville - Chicago intermodal, 282, makes the run in 54 hours.  It works Austell and Cincinnati en route.

All trains carry premium traffic.

Andrew

CSX most likely as it is the only one of the two to have a direct route through Nashville, TN. NS has to go to Cincinnati (via an indirect route) then down to Chattanooga via Knoxville, TN.

SD80MACfan Wrote:
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> CSX most likely as it is the only one of the two
> to have a direct route through Nashville, TN. NS
> has to go to Cincinnati (via an indirect route)
> then down to Chattanooga via Knoxville, TN.

Correction, the NS Cincinnati - Chattanooga main doesn’t run through Knoxville.

Andrew

In 1987 NS bought the ICG's line between Haleyville, Ala and Fulton, Ky., formerly the route of the City of Miami. Trackage rights for NS over ICG as far north as Centralia, Ill. were included. Reportedly this was a compromise outcome after NS had evaluated buying all of ICG but decided not to. There was speculation at the time that NS would use this line to build traffic into Chicago and St Louis, but it never happened. Eventually NS sold or abandoned what it had bought.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/18 16:40 by ctillnc.

I wonder what the NS trains could do if they did not work Cincinnati and Austell. I thought NS would be more competitive.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/18 17:09 by PRR_4859.

florida581 Wrote:
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> SD80MACfan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > CSX most likely as it is the only one of the
> two
> > to have a direct route through Nashville, TN.
> NS
> > has to go to Cincinnati (via an indirect route)
> > then down to Chattanooga via Knoxville, TN.
>
> Correction, the NS Cincinnati - Chattanooga main
> doesn’t run through Knoxville.
>
> Andrew

I used Knoxville as a general reference point as the line passes within 30 miles of there.

All the more reason to bring back Amtrak's Floridian on the CSX from Chicago to Florida

282 would save 90 min in Atlanta and a hour in Cincy if they did no work. 282 does a crew change in Atlanta and then work at Austell. Crew change at Cincy no matter what. 
216 would save 2 hours if it did no work. 

A lot of UPS traffic from Jax that is going on NS goes north on 210 and then connects on 216.  Likewise traffic rides from Chicago on 215 and then goes to Jax on 209. 

Thank you for all of the information. What are typical transit times for the 209 and 210 between Atlanta and Jacksonville?

PRR_4859 Wrote:
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> Thank you for all of the information. What are
> typical transit times for the 209 and 210 between
> Atlanta and Jacksonville?

209 has a 9.5 hr schedule from Atlanta to Jacksonville’s Simpson Yard (including a crew change at Macon).  It then works at Simpson Yard before terminating at FEC’s Bowden Yard.

Andrew

> All the more reason to bring back Amtrak's Floridian on the CSX from Chicago to Florida

Many problems to be overcome, still.

florida581 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PRR_4859 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Thank you for all of the information. What are
> > typical transit times for the 209 and 210
> between
> > Atlanta and Jacksonville?
>
> 209 has a 9.5 hr schedule from Atlanta to
> Jacksonville’s Simpson Yard (including a crew
> change at Macon).  It then works at Simpson Yard
> before terminating at FEC’s Bowden Yard.
>
> Andrew

Thank you for all of the responses. I think 9.5 hours from Atlanta to Jacksonville may be faster than what CSXT could do between those points.