CSX Upgrades Queensgate Yard with 42 Power-Operated Switches

CSX is completing an infrastructure modernization program at Queensgate Yard in Cincinnati, Ohio, designed to enhance operational safety, efficiency, and switching reliability across one of the network's high-density rail freight hubs. The capital project installs 42 power-operated track switches on the north end of the facility, expanding the yard's active complement of automated switches to approximately 170 units.

Switch Automation and Crew Safety
Power-operated switch machines permit yard routes to be lined remotely via centralized control interfaces, removing the requirement for field personnel to throw switch levers manually on the ground. Eliminating manual switch throwing reduces the frequency with which conductors and switch crews must dismount and mount locomotives, minimizing slip, trip, and fall hazards while decreasing the occurrence of run-through switch incidents caused by misaligned points.

"This is really about making the railroad safer, more efficient and more standardized," stated Ryan Raymond, Director of Hump Yard Operations, Engineering and Design at CSX. "Being able to work with the teams, keep them safe, and improve the operation is always going to be our highest priority."

Operational Coordination and Yard Capacity
Construction and physical cutovers were scheduled to maintain continuous commercial freight movements through Queensgate Yard. During the execution phase, remote switch routing enabled dispatchers to establish protected work zones by actively diverting switching blocks and train movements away from track construction crews.

Integrating remote-control switch mechanisms at the facility's northern throat improves classification flow and reduces cycle times for sorting, block assembly, and train departure operations.

Key Project Details

Edited by Romila DSilva, Induportals Editor, with AI assistance.