CSX, one of two long-distance freight railroads that serve Western North Carolina, is once again moving trains through the mountains into Tennessee a year after Hurricane Helene damaged or destroyed nearly 60 miles of track.
The CSX Blue Ridge Subdivision, as the line is known, is a key link between the Southeast and Midwest but also serves businesses in the mountains. Before Helene, it carried about 14 million tons of freight a year, according to the company.
In the weeks following Helene, the railroad was able to restore service from Spruce Pine south toward Charlotte…