CSX worked with its customers in 2016 to announce 114 new or expanded facilities to be located on the company’s rail network and connecting short lines. These new projects represent $9.5 billion in customer investments that are expected to generate approximately 8,100 new jobs in areas served by CSX.

Once these facilities are fully operational, they are projected to generate more than 136,000 new annual carloads for CSX. In addition to these projects that will be built over the next several years, more than 100 customer facilities on CSX began operations in 2016.

“The substantial capital investments announced by our customers last year included a new automotive plant and an ethane cracker facility to further leverage abundant domestic natural gas supplies,” said Derrick Smith, vice president for strategic business development. “We also saw strong activity that generated other energy projects as well as facility construction or expansion to support agriculture and intermodal markets. These projects rely heavily on the teamwork among CSX and the local, county and state economic development professionals who ensure these projects are completed successfully.”

Since 2000, CSX customers have invested more than $51 billion in rail-served facilities, creating more than 70,000 jobs at those plants, distribution centers, and other enterprises across the company’s 23-state network. To support rail-oriented industrial development, CSX’s Select Site program pre-certifies properties that are suitable for manufacturing use. These sites meet rigorous criteria to increase development probability and reduce time and costs for CSX customers.

CSX provides service via an extensive network that connects to nearly two-thirds of the nation’s population and serves more than 70 ocean, river, and lake ports. CSX can move a ton of freight an average of nearly 450 miles on a single gallon of fuel, and one train can carry the equivalent load of 280 trucks, reducing carbon emissions and wear and tear on public roads.