By Mark Woolsey

CSX Railroad maintenance work will result in the temporary closure of several railroad crossings next week in both Marietta and Smyrna. The railroad says it’s part of required safety work and that crossings will be blocked for 24-48 hours.

In Marietta, the following closings will occur in and near the downtown area: East Dixie Avenue Southeast, Waverly Way, Whitlock Avenue Northwest, Mill Street NW, Polk Street NW and Kennesaw Avenue NW. All those closings are listed for Dec. 5

Smyrna city officials said on Facebook that the crossings at Spring Street at Atlanta Road and Hawthorne Avenue /Atlanta Road will be closed on Dec. 2. Smyrna officials expect the work to wrap up by Dec.3.

The work will be done by what’s called a CSX “production team” and will be aided by Cobb County.

Dec. 5 also marks the date for Santa on the Square and the city’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony. The conjunction drew several complaints on social media.

About CSX

CSX Corporation, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, is a large American holding company specializing in rail transportation and real estate across North America. It’s best known in metro Atlanta for operating a rail network crisscrossing the area.

It was formed on November 1, 1980, through the merger of Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries.

Its acquisition of Seaboard led to the eventual creation of the popular Silver Comet Trail, built on the right-of-way of Seaboard’s Silver Comet passenger train.

CSX has developed an extensive rail network. Its subsidiary, CSX Transportation, operates approximately 21,000 route miles of track, serving 26 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

The company’s rail services include the transportation of intermodal containers and trailers and bulk commodities such as chemicals, agricultural and food products, minerals, automotive goods, forest products, fertilizers, metals, and equipment.

CSX also handles coal, coke, and iron ore shipments to power plants, steel manufacturers, industrial facilities, and export terminals.

As of April 2024, CSX’s leadership team includes:

• John J. Zillmer: Chairman of the Board of Directors
• Joseph R. Hinrichs: President and Chief Executive Officer
• Sean Pelkey: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
• Kevin Boone: Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing
• Mike Cory: Executive Vice President of Operations
• Nathan D. Goldman: Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and Corporate Secretary
• Diana Sorfleet: Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer
• Steve Fortune: Executive Vice President and Chief Digital and Technology Officer

CSX is publicly traded and is a component of the Nasdaq-100, Dow Jones Transportation Average, and S&P 500 indices. The company reported total revenue of $14.66 billion in 2023.

In recent developments, CSX has faced challenges such as disruptions from hurricanes and fluctuations in coal demand, which have impacted its financial performance.