Eastern Railroad Discussion > CSX derailment

WSBTV 2 eports a CSX train derailment at Kenesaw, GA. Report says it hit a bridge. It appears to be a wooded area. Double tracks.
Double stacks. 

https://www.mdjonline.com/news/derailed-train-causes-road-closures-in-kennesaw/article_fbdf4328-ccba-11e9-bd01-43fa38ec0c8c.html

No injuries and no structural damage to the bridge, just a few containers...

Latest FRA derailment numbers (Jan 1, 2019 through July 31, 2019)
UP = 209
BNSF = 145
NS = 77
CSX = 56

So CSX actually has far fewer derailments this year than any of the other big 4 US railroads...   Yet every derailment brings headlines as if they are the worst.

These derailment numbers are meaningless without comparison to such statistics as train miles, ton miles, etc.

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"Meaningless" is a stretch. They are an indication of performance, but I grant you that a comparison of derailments per trainmiles would also be instructive.

cinder Wrote:
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> These derailment numbers are meaningless without
> comparison to such statistics as train miles, ton
> miles, etc.

Yes, and when you look at those numbers in regard to the ton-miles on NS and CSX being relatively equal... the result is about the same.  I'll do a follow up with the ton-miles comparison.

I just put the actual FRA reports numbers out there to show CSX isn't the mess some believe it to be...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/01/19 17:43 by CSX602.

Okay...  Lets look at the derailment numbers with the revenue ton miles factored in...

Lets look at the full year 2018 revenue ton miles as a basis...
CSX 208.71 billion
NS 207.37 billion

Those are virtually equal so we'll give both those a factor of 1...

BNSF had 701.81 or basically 3.37 times that of NS or CSX
UP had 473.96 or basically 2.27 times that of NS or CSX

So the weighted derailment numbers (if this years tonnage is similar) would be...

UP = 209 / 2.27 = 92
BNSF = 145 / 3.37 = 43
NS = 77 / 1 = 77
CSX = 56 / 1 = 56

So looking at 2019 derailments in regard to approximate revenue ton miles the railroads with lowest derailment rates would be BNSF and CSX... and NS and UP higher.


 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/01/19 18:11 by CSX602.

Or we can look at the 2018 numbers...

Derailments in 2018:
UP = 373
BNSF = 289
NS = 191
CSX = 189

Derailments per 10 billion revenue ton miles in 2018:
NS = 191 / 20.737 = 9.211
CSX = 189 / 20.871 = 9.056
UP = 373 / 47.396 = 7.870
BNSF = 289 / 70.181 = 4.118

So for 2018 NS had the highest derailment rate with revenue ton-miles factored in...

In Jan-July 2018 CSX had 125 derailments (NS had 121).  Both CSX and NS did much better in first half of 2019 with 56 and 77 respectively.

 

CSX602 Wrote:
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> So CSX actually has far fewer derailments this year than any of the other big 4 US railroads... 
> Yet every derailment brings headlines as if they are the worst.

It sounds like over sensitivity on your part. Being happy or at least accepting 56 derailments (so far) is like bragging that your customer service scores are the highest in the industry with 10% customer satisfaction.

Instead of being happy that there have been only 56 derailments how about not being happy until there are zero?

Toppers didn't get pinned?

DPMTM will be the new phrase after operating ratio wears out!

justalurker66 Wrote:
> Instead of being happy that there have been only
> 56 derailments how about not being happy until
> there are zero?

As long as there are railroads there are likely to be derailments...  Whether weather related, human related, equipment related or track related, they just happen.  It's part of the business.
The first year a big railroad usually has zero derailments is the one after they stop operating.

Yes, nobody should be happy about 56 derailments in 7 months (much less 77, 145 or 209) but the good news so far in 2019 is that both NS and CSX - despite all the recent happenings that might make some think otherwise - are actually on a downward trend in derailments from recent years which is certainly a good thing...

BTW, it still seems odd that CSX gets all the comments about worst track, most derailments, most unsafe... and other incorrect anti-CSX postings like postings about minor derailments insinuating major ones... while CSX actually has the fewest derailments of any of the big 4 US railroads.  What I see is sensitivity by the fans of other railroads - and especially by NS fans - when that is pointed out by me or anybody else.