Importance to Baltimore and Maryland

CSX Curtis Bay Piers facility at the Port of Baltimore is a vital part of the nation’s infrastructure and economic fabric of the state of Maryland. CSX is a proud member of the Baltimore community, having been an indispensable part of the region and Maryland for nearly 200 years, and has invested significant resources into the facility to continue to operate it in an environmentally responsible manner for years to come. 

Curtis Bay Piers played a pivotal role in supporting the dredging of the Chesapeake Bay Shipping Channel to a depth of 50 feet, establishing the Port of Baltimore as a prominent hub among major U.S. seaports. This depth provides a competitive advantage for the Port of Baltimore over other Atlantic Coast ports with shallower channels. The utilization of the 50-foot Chesapeake Bay Shipping Channel by large vessels further supports the ongoing maintenance dredging efforts led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its contractors. This not only benefits Curtis Bay Piers but also enhances the appeal of other Port of Baltimore marine terminals utilizing and marketing the 50-foot channel.

  • CSX connects the Port of Baltimore to global markets, hosts commuter rail service, and supports the local supply chain. CSX employs nearly 700 Marylanders while supporting an overall port system of nearly 140,000 local jobs.
  • CSX has invested over $60 million in Curtis Bay Piers over the last five years, setting new standards in environmental stewardship and providing improved throughput capacity, efficiency, and flexibility.
  • The Curtis Bay Piers supplies coal to power the Maryland electric grid, provides metallurgical coal critical for the steel industry, supports our allies in Europe amid a historic energy crisis, and has shipped about 850,000 net tons of coal to customers in the global steel market.

The Curtis Bay Piers have been – and will continue to be – a pillar of the Port of Baltimore helping to:

  • Heat Baltimore homes.
  • Power our electric grid.
  • Support our nation’s interests abroad.
  • Supply metallurgical coal to steel producers across the country, relied on by the U.S. manufacturing industry.

CSX Prioritizes Safety

The ONE CSX safety culture is rooted in the constant evaluation and strengthening of our policies and operating practices. We take every incident on our railroad seriously and we work hard to learn from each one through careful analysis and fact-based process improvement. We work closely with first responders across our network and regulatory agencies to ensure proper planning and safety protocols are followed to protect our employees, customers, and communities.

CSX’s goal is to be the best railroad in North America, and we can’t be the best without also being the safest. We are relentless in our focus on working toward that objective every day.

Our goal is zero accidents, but in the event that an emergency does occur, our top priority is making sure first responders and the surrounding community are safe. Responder Incident Training (RIT) training events like this one are critical in helping us achieve that goal.