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10/3/2025
CSX yesterday held an event to celebrate the reopening of its Blue Ridge Subdivision, which was heavily damaged one year ago by flooding from Hurricane Helene.
CSX and partner companies restored a key 60-mile corridor in North Carolina and Tennessee that annually carries more than 14 million tons of freight and connects the Appalachian region to the broader freight network, CSX officials said in a press release. The subdivision is one of four north-south routes in the CSX network and is a critical throughway.
The restoration was one of the largest rail recovery projects in CSX history. CSX employees, contractors and suppliers put over 570,000 man hours into the project. The team used 1 million cubic yards of rock and material to rebuild embankments and track beds; installed 575 rail piles and 1,150 precast concrete panels to construct a nearly 1-mile retaining wall; placed 21,000 cubic yards of concrete to strengthen structures; and laid 35,500 linear feet of new track in the Nolichucky River gorge.
Subdivision upgrades included the rebuilt 530-foot Poplar Bridge, which now features a modern ballast-deck design for better clearance and mitigating future weather impacts. CSX also rebuild the Devil's Creek Bridge, which crosses the state line between North Carolina and Tennessee, rebuilt key structures such as retaining walls and upgrades draining systems throughout the entire Nolichucky Gorge, CSX officials said.
"This is a significant moment for CSX, for the communities of Tennessee and North Carolina, and for everyone who has worked tirelessly over the past year to ensure that freight rail is once again moving safely and reliably through the Nolichucky Gorge, making sure that CSX’s network emerges stronger than ever," said CSX President and CEO Steve Angel in a press release.