It is said that there is a new excitement spreading at CSX, as something positive is “happening.” From the headquarters in Jacksonville down to the people walking the ballasts, the excitement is spreading. People on the outside of CSX sense the excitement too and want to come work for CSX. The excitement is also among CSX’s customers, who report high satisfaction with CSX’s intermodal service, and a recent survey shows the highest satisfaction of CSX customers since the survey began. It’s a contagion, a contagion of excitement called “OneCSX culture.” This OneCSX culture is so important that it is carved as a pillar of CSX’s three pillar business strategy. Ok, so, what is this excitement of the OneCSX culture about?!
“We were all CSX”. Long before there was “OneCSX culture,” during the Chessie-Seaboard merger process, there was a persistent concern about loyalty and unity among the employees of the subsidiaries toward the parent company, CSX Corporation. In the earliest days of the Chessie-Seaboard merger project, there was a desire to avoid the incomparable cultures that destroyed the Penn Central merger. Avoiding this pitfall of Penn Central was the reason for the slow walking of the CSX merger that Hays Watkins described as “the slow love-making of two porcupines.” When the Chessie System was merged into Seaboard System/CSX Transportation in 1986, there was no lamenting over “losing my Chessie” or “my Seaboard” among employees, according to Watkins, “we were all CSX” (2001:213). Some lamenting did occur, however, but in the press over the loss of the Baltimore and Ohio’s then 158 year old charter and the loss of the Chessie System’s, Ches-C logo, described as “throwing the cat off the train” by the Associated Press.
The “OneCSX” of today that was brought to CSX by the current CEO, Joe Hinrichs, a long time CEO of the Ford Motor Company, is a unifying concept that goes much deeper than the unifying effects of the 1986 merger that created CSXT. With “OneFord,” all employees “rely on, respect, and care for each other” and Ford values “everyone’s unique contributions, communicate candidly, and work together as ONE team.” Ford is one family. https://corporate.ford.com/about/culture/one-ford.html The OneCSX concept, taken from CSX’s 2022 Environmental, Social and Governmental Report is summed up below:
Through ONE CSX, we are on a journey to create a unified culture that values everyone’s contributions while instilling a sense of pride, equality and belonging. It is a culture where all employees feel empowered to speak up and contribute to our broader business objectives.
OneCSX is a journey toward the creation of an employee centered culture that creates a sense of OneCSX Team through inclusion, communication and working together. CSX employees are genuinely valued and feel a sense of pride, worth, empowerment and that their contributions to CSX add to CSX’s business objectives. CEO Hinrichs is passionate that when employees are supported and recognized, they can better deliver extraordinary service to CSX’s customers. The culture of pride, communication and working together works toward creating a sense of being on a team, OneCSX Team, and the successes of CSX Corporation is said to be the success of the OneCSX Team. When Mr. Hinrichs was named 2025’s Railroader of the Year by Railway Age, he passed the honor on to the OneCSX Team, or the entire workforce of CSX.
“Bring the kiddos, OneCSX Team! Let’s celebrate OneCSX!” OneCSX is celebrated by Family Days, a celebration of employee empowerment and family appreciation that’s held at several CSX locations every year. Family Days are also a way to spread and renew OneCSX culture throughout the CSX organization.
OneCSX as a team sport. Railway Age interviewed two OneCSX team members, Ricky Johnson, Vice President of Transportation and Carl Walker, Vice President Engineering, describe how their teams work in the OneCSX culture. Johnson says the OneCSX team concept is key for how his group works seamlessly with Walker’s Engineering, and the constant communication creates an efficient and a productive work environment that produces success. People on the outside want to come in and work for CSX because they sense that there’s something different happening with OneCSX culture that they want to be a part of, the feeling of respect and appreciation and inclusion toward each OneCSX team member. Johnson says there is a feeling of contagious excitement that has spread from the CSX leaders in Jacksonville all the way down to the people out on the ballasts. “It’s a team sport” says Johnson. “We have voices and we are all heard. We’re going to make the right decisions for our employees, our owners, our communities and our customers.”
What this excitement of the OneCSX culture is about! OneCSX is a journey to a positive, cultural transformation of CSX that first respects and appreciates every employee’s contributions, empowers employees to speak and be heard, and cares for each employee as a valued member of the OneCSX Team. OneCSX is about inclusion and communication among work groups as part of the OneCSX Team. The spreading of OneCSX culture has generated a contagious excitement throughout the CSX organization, and this excitement shows in the productive success of each employee in the better delivery of extraordinary service to CSX’s customers, who are benefiting the most from CSX’s new OneCSX culture.
Summary of the main points of the OneCSX culture building “journey:“
- OneCSX is a positive cultural transformation throughout CSX Corporation aimed at creating a culture of inclusion of all CSX employees into CSX’s business goals;
- Employees are the most valuable asset to CSX;
- Each employee’s contributions to CSX’s goals are respected and appreciated;
- Employees are empowered to speak and be heard;
- Inclusion and communication among workgroups;
- The value CSX places on employees enables and empowers them to deliver extraordinary service to CSX customers;
- The OneCSX movement is a continuous “journey.”
References
Basch, Mark. “‘One CSX’ initiative has ‘a great ending,’ the company’s new CEO says.” October 24, 2022 Jacksonville Daily Record. Accessed December 9, 2024.
CSX. “CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs at RailTrends: The Power of Empowering the Workforce.” November 15, 2024. Accessed December 9, 2024.
CEO Joe Hinrichs at RailTrends touts the benefits to CSX’s business by empowering employees.
CSX. “2022. Environmental, Social and Governance Report.” Accessed December 8, 2024.
CSX. “2023. Environmental, Social and Governance Report.” Accessed December 8, 2024.
“CSX: Hurricane repairs expected to cost more than $200 million”. Jacksonville Daily Record (Florida), October 17, 2024 Thursday. lexis-com.. Accessed December 12, 2024.
“CSX Leads Industry in Intermodal Customer Satisfaction”. GlobeNewswire, January 18, 2024 Thursday. lexis-com. Accessed December 12, 2024.
Dolinger, Milton. “Chessie System throws the Cat off the Train.” July 22, 1986. ProQuest.com Accessed August 2, 2024.
Lappen, Alyssa A. and Jefferson Grigsby, ed. October 27, 1980. “Slowly — but not too slowly.” Forbes. http://www.proquest.com. Accessed August 1, 2024.
Luczak, Marybeth. “Inside the CSX Playbook.” September 6, 2023.. Railway Age. Accessed December 9, 2024.
Phillips, Don. December 22, 1986.” Historical B&O Railroad Nears End of the Line 158-Year Old Carrier Will Fade Into CSX.” Los Angeles Times.
Vantuono, William C. November 06, 2024. “CSX President and CEO Joe Hinrichs Named Railway Age 2025 Railroader of the Year.” Railway Age. Accessed December 9, 2024.
Watkins, Hays T. Just Call Me Hays. Recollections, Reactions and Reflections on 42 Years of Railroading. 2001.