CSX’s rebuilt Blue Ridge Subdivision — the former Clinchfield Railroad in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina which was heavily damaged by flooding after Hurricane Helene last fall — hosted its first revenue freight train over the weekend.
With Clinchfield heritage locomotive No. 1902 on the point, train U248-20 traversed the line on Saturday.
CSX is planning an official reopening ceremony for next week.
The approximately $450 million rebuild project was necessary after historic flooding destroyed nearly 60 miles of track, bridges, and roadbed, with the Nolichucky River Gorge between Erwin, Tenn. and Spruce Pine, N.C. being the hardest-hit section of the railroad.
Although the line hosts only five to seven trains per day, including coal trains, the route serves as a relief valve for the railroad’s other north-south corridors, executives have said.
When the UP/NS merger happens, CSX and BNSF may do the merger thing, which will help put more traffic on the Clinchfield. Even now, CSX/BNSF have put together an agreement to straight line freight from the west coast to the east coast. I see that as a possible need for the Clinchfield as well.
Now that’s classy CSX to run the Clinchfield heritage locomotive, very glad to see that line opened might actually see more trains on the former C&WC line too. Nice news to read today.