This isn't a good sign .

Have you not been reading and watching the news? The widening of the Panama Canal to allow bigger container ships thru. The deepening of shipping ports to allow those huge ships into the Gulf and up the east coast. No more leaving the containers in CA for the railroads to move.

 

Plus coal shipments are way off

 

Coal shipments are the main reason for the CSX slowdown. CSX moves a lot of the coal out of coal country to the rest of the country.
The economy is pretty sluggish as a whole also.

 

BNSF has about 75 engines Parked in OKC
Crude oil and coal is way down.

 

Alot of those layoffs are in places where they shouldn't be. Track department and mechanical forces took a big hit yet they preach safety to make the public feel all warm and fuzzy.

 

Maritime shippers have been using a cost saving technique called "Blanked Sailing" in which scheduled departures are delayed or even cancelled in reaction to lighter than expected freight. This problem is in turn affecting rail and when Panama opens to the megamax ships, the west coast ports will simply be bypassed. Another problem on the horizon is that these ocean going shippers who used to supply the chassis for their containers are starting to no longer supply them.

 

The sky is falling.