Freight Conductor

CSX to cut 1,100 rail jobs amid record profits into the billions, union says. by JOSEPH CADOTTE Mon, September 21, 2026 at 11:04 PM Updated Tue, September 22, 2026 at 8:52 AM 00:00 04:20 Hundreds of railroad workers could be losing their jobs in the coming weeks across West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky as 1,100 workers - mostly engineers who deal with safety inspections, maintenance and construction - could lose their jobs across the U.S., a union representing those workers said. (WCHS) Ask WCHS TV anything What were CSX's record second-quarter profits in 2026? Why did the union accuse CSX of corporate greed in the job cuts? CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) - Hundreds of railroad workers could be losing their jobs in the coming weeks across West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky as 1,100 workers - mostly engineers who deal with safety inspections, maintenance and construction - could lose their jobs across the U.S., a union representing those workers said. Transportation giant CSX called the The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division on Sept. 14 and told them they'd be furloughing the 1,100 workers by mid-November, according to general chairman Brian Thompson. Those positions range from $80,000 jobs to management positions in duties that involve safety inspections, rail maintenance and construction. CSX used the word "seasonal" in a statement about the situation. Thompson said he's worried those furloughed positions could be permanently cut. "This creates a huge safety risk to the community," Thompson said. "We were just dumbfounded honestly." CSX had a record second quarter profit this year and earnings were well into the billions of dollars before the cuts were announced, Thompson said. "You're going to see the safety incidents," he said. "You're going to see the derailments. You're going to see the public being affected by all of these cuts and deferred maintenance." Thompson said CSX didn't give the union he represents a reason why they're cutting the jobs and said some of the jobs would be readvertised in March although wouldn't confirm that the cuts wouldn't be permanent. "It's just a massive take from the American people," Thompson said. "These are blue-collar families of people who get up every day and go to work. It's completely uncalled for. There is nothing that you could rationally state that says that you could provide that says that this is a good idea. This makes it unsafe for the public. This makes it unsafe for the employees. There's nothing to gain other than this is pure greed. This is corporate American wanting to take from blue collar workers in America." The rail giant was granted a waiver by the Federal Railroad Administration in 2025 to cut inspections to once per week - that effectively allowed CSX to reduce their human inspections by 40% in 2026, allowing the company to rely more on technology than people. Thompson said CSX isn't complying with the very waiver they qualified for. "The automatic track inspections and through AI models they're not doing them at the frequency at which the human inspections were being performed," Thompson said. "They're falling behind. They're not able to get the equipment across the track to be able to look at it. So not only are they not performing proper inspections. It's just not being inspected at all." The sudden loss of voluminous jobs in the $80,000-plus range could be devastating to families and local economies. "It hurts a lot of families in a lot of bad ways and causes a lot of bad issues we don't normally discuss when we see cuts which include all the financial issues," Thompson said. "They can cause divorces. We deal with addiction issues when we see these come through. We always have an influx of this and suicide." In response to questions and concerns from BMWED, CSX referred to a statement issued to WCHS on Sunday: "CSX is adjusting its engineering organization to better align teams with seasonal workflows and the maintenance work required across the network. We are communicating directly with employees of labor leaders and are following applicable collective bargaining agreements. Our focus on safety is unchanged. Required inspections, maintenance and infrastructure renewal work will continue, as will our approved capital program." SPONSORED CONTENT MORE TO EXPLORE

SHOCKING: CSX insiders dumped 43,000 shares - But $45.99 support signals BUY! CSX stock-analysis market-insights investment viral-content Market analysis. The railroad giant CSX Corporation finds itself at a critical inflection point as of September 22, 2026, and the data tells a surprisingly nuanced story that every serious investor needs to hear right now. Let's start with the headline that's turning heads: CSX insiders dumped a net 42,229 shares over the past three months - with 43,000 shares sold versus just 771 shares bought. Those sales occurred at prices ranging from $46.45 to $53.29 per share, while options were exercised at deeply discounted strike prices of $22.70-$26.50, strongly suggesting insiders are cashing out long-held gains. That's not a casual portfolio rebalance - that's a signal worth taking seriously. But here's where the story gets complicated - and potentially very profitable for contrarian investors who dig deeper. On the fundamental side, the picture is decidedly mixed. Earnings reports flash a clear warning: EPS has declined from $1.90 to $1.55 over the last three reported quarters, representing a meaningful deterioration in per-share profitability. Revenue has followed suit, sliding from approximately $14.66 billion to $14.09 billion, reflecting genuine top-line pressure. Profit margins sit at a moderate 22.2% - respectable, but not improving fast enough to offset the earnings slide. Valuation metrics compound the concern. CSX's P/E ratio of 26.74 sits well above the railroad industry's typical range of low-to-mid teens. The P/B ratio of 6.05 means investors are paying over six times book value, and a P/S ratio of 5.87 dwarfs the industry norm of below 3. By multiple measures, the stock appears fundamentally overvalued at current prices - a conclusion its analysis explicitly rates as a "Sell" on both earning reports and valuation ratios. However - and this is crucial - the financial statements and cash flow analysis tell a completely different story, both rated "Buy." Total assets of $43.68 billion comfortably dwarf total debt of $19.35 billion. Stockholders' equity stands at a robust $13.15 billion. Operating income remains powerful at approximately $4.7 billion, EBITDA holds strong at $6.3 billion, and net income of $2.89 billion demonstrates that CSX's core business engine is still firing on all cylinders. Free cash flow is positive, capital expenditures are disciplined, and the balance sheet provides a substantial buffer against near-term headwinds. The dividend yield of 1.22% falls below the 2% threshold that income-focused investors typically require, earning a "Sell" designation for yield-seekers - though growth investors may be less deterred. On the macroeconomic front, the environment is broadly neutral-to-cautious. Treasury rates have ticked modestly higher, with T-Bills at 3.788% and T-Notes at 3.345% as of August 2026. Unemployment has eased slightly to 4.1%, suggesting a stable but not accelerating economy. For a railroad operator like CSX, this translates to steady freight demand without a meaningful near-term growth catalyst - a macroeconomic backdrop its analysis uniformly rates as "Hold" across interest rates, economic growth, industry trends, and inflation metrics. Adding real-world context: Bank of America's analyst Ken Hoexter maintains a Buy rating on CSX with a price target of $55 - recently trimmed from $56 - implying roughly 16% upside from current levels. Meanwhile, record diesel prices exceeding $6.31 per gallon nationally are accelerating a structural shift of freight from trucking to rail, which could provide a meaningful volume tailwind for CSX's core business in coming quarters. Technical insights. Here's where things get genuinely exciting for opportunistic buyers - because the technical picture, while complex, is quietly flashing a potential reversal signal that the market may be sleeping on. The current price of $45.99 represents a decline of 2.36% in the most recent session, pushing CSX toward a historically significant support zone. Its technical analysis identifies a critical support level near $45-$46, a price floor that has repeatedly held in recent trading history. The proximity to this support level - with

CSX Transflo opens Petersburg transloading terminal. Transflo, a subsidiary of CSX, has opened a new transloading facility in Petersburg, Virginia. The new location reflects a commitment to delivering the benefits of rail transportation with efficient transloading and maximized throughput, Transflo officials said in a press release. The Petersburg transload facility features 40 car spots, liquified petroleum gas capabilities, conveyor capacity and access to major highways, including Interstate 95, Interstate 85 and U.S. Highway 460. The facility offers the potential for shippers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 75% by using rail transportation, they added. CSX created a short video about the new facility. It can be viewed on the railroad's LinkedIn page.