Class I Briefs: CSX, CPKC

(CSX Photograph)

CSX commits $50,000 to Penn State Altoona to create a railroad engineering scholarship program, and will continue to serve the Kearney Companies-Savannah Garden City, Ga., facility. Also, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) releases a “teaser” video of a locomotive in its new paint scheme.

CSX

Penn State Altoona on May 8 reported receiving a $50,000 commitment from CSX for a new CSX Rail Transportation Engineering Scholarship program. The gift, it said, is funding four scholarships of $2,500 per year for five years. The first scholarships were awarded for the 2023-24 academic year.

The scholarship program “reflects Penn State Altoona’s vital role in shaping the next generation of leaders in the railroad industry,” said Diana Sorfleet, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for CSX. “We believe that investing in education is an investment in the future.” The program will not only assist students but also foster “a legacy of community partnership and innovation in railroading,” she added. “CSX wants to inspire students, demonstrate our commitment to technology in the industry and nurture future talent for our ONE CSX team.”

“Penn State Altoona is grateful to our friends and partners at CSX for the generosity and foresight displayed in this impactful gift,” said Dr. Ron Darbau, Chancellor of Penn State Altoona. “The Rail Transportation Engineering (RTE) program attracts the brightest and best students and through the quality and dedication of our faculty and industry partners, produces graduates ready to reshape the industry. This gift provides opportunities for even more students to participate in this unique program.”

RTE major Baleigh Mount was one of the first recipients of the scholarship. “Being offered a scholarship of this capacity is life-changing for someone who has had difficulty affording college tuition,” Mount said. “This allows me to continue my education without worry, and I am forever grateful to CSX for this opportunity.”

Meanwhile, The Kearney Companies–Savannah, LLC, along with parent company Precision Terminal Logistics, announced a new lease arrangement with Brookfield Properties for its CSX-served distribution facility in Garden City, Ga., which will allow for an extension of The Kearney Companies–Savannah’s 3PL logistics service offerings in Savannah. These services include CSX boxcar transloading, ocean container drayage, commodity distribution, and related 3PL services that are said to be catered to import and export commodities like rolled pulp, rolled packaging products, baled pulp, bundled plywood, unitized products like super sacks (totes), and export baled cotton.

According to The Kearney Companies–Savannah, the lease is a five-year extension that went into effect in January 2024; the new lease includes an additional five-year extension, effectively making it a 10-year lease term.

For more than 12 years, the Kearney Companies–Savannah has operated the 397,500 square-foot facility, which is 1.5 miles from the Georgia Port Authority’s Garden City Container Terminal. It is said to be the closest CSX rail-served warehouse to that terminal.

Brookfield Properties finalizing several facility updates, including a new roof, fresh exterior painting, replacement of old dock levelers, and conversion of the interior and exterior lighting systems to more energy-efficient LED lighting, according to The Kearney Companies–Savannah.

“We appreciate our partnership with Brookfield Properties at the 6030 Commerce Blvd. facility in Garden City,” said David W. Kearney, President of The Kearney Companies–Savannah. “We believe that the success of this partnership will ultimately be measured in terms of the sustainable competitive advantages we are able to enable for each specific shipper’s supply chains and the jobs that we create in this process of using this facility to support these customers various logistical needs. With this new lease, we will be continuing to help our customers grow their import and export volumes that move through our upgraded facilities well into the future.”

“By shifting freight to rail from other land-based transportation modes through the Kearney Savannah facility, shippers can improve their environmental footprint as shipping via rail takes traffic off an already congested highway system and minimizes fuel consumption while also reducing transportation costs,” said Kevin Boone, CSX Executive Vice President, and Chief Commercial Officer. “CSX is pleased to have the opportunity to continue to serve The Kearney Companies–Savannah Garden City, Ga., facility and to support vital commerce at the Port of Savannah. CSX is committed to working closely with Kearney and their shippers to identify new opportunities and provide reliable transportation solutions to better connect them to the global supply chain through the Savannah Gateway.”

In related developments, the Port of New Orleans last month reported a new 10-year lease arrangement with The Kearney Companies, Inc., and Precision Terminal Logistics earlier this month entered into an agreement with Norfolk Southern to operate the Thoroughbred Bulk Transfer Terminal in Louisville, Ky. 

CPKC

“It’s almost ready! Coming soon: our new livery,” CPKC reported May 8 in social media posts that included a video “teaser” (see above, via social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter).

The livery design was introduced in June 2023 following the merger of Class I railroads Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) to form CPKC, the first single-line, transnational railway connecting Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

CPKC last June called the new livery “[a]n inspiring blend of past and present,” capturing, “the essence of our heritage while symbolizing our bright future ahead.”

The winning design was selected from five finalized options that were presented to all CPKC employees through an internal survey. Thousands of votes were received and tabulated. Option 1 was chosen.

The video “teaser” is also available on the CPKC website.