CSX to reopen Howard Street Tunnel and Blue Ridge Sub ahead of schedule

CSX to reopen Howard Street Tunnel and Blue Ridge Sub ahead of schedule

By Bill Stephens | September 11, 2025

CEO Joe Hinrichs defends the railroad’s operational and financial performance, citing a number of factors beyond CSX’s control that have put a $1.2 billion dent in operating income since the 2022 peak


A CSX employee walks through the 3,400-foot section of the Howard Street Tunnel where the floor has been lowered. CSX

BALTIMORE — CSX plans to resume operations through the Howard Street Tunnel and over its hurricane-damaged Blue Ridge Subdivision ahead of schedule, CEO Joe Hinrichs said today.

Trains will begin running through the Howard Street Tunnel in Baltimore during the last week of September. The tunnel on CSX’s I-95 corridor has been closed since Feb. 1 for a long-awaited double-stack clearance project that was expected to take up to 10 months [see “CSX closes Howard Street Tunnel …,” Trains.com, Feb. 4, 2025].

“We’re going to beat the clock on that. We’re really excited about it. 
The team’s done a fabulous job,” Hinrichs told an investor conference today.

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