CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) is one of the best railroad stocks to buy according to analysts. On March 17, Maryclare Kenney, Chief Commercial Officer of CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX), presented at the JPMorgan Industrials Conference, where she laid out the company’s near-term challenges, its resilience strategy, and key growth projects.

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Kenney opened by addressing recent weather-related disruptions to CSX’s network. She stated that the company is investing in network resiliency to ensure faster recovery and sustained service reliability. This is because, as she emphasized, shippers only choose rail over trucks when they trust the service to be consistent, not just good occasionally.

Kenney stated that on the demand side, CSX entered 2026 expecting a flat industrial production environment, and that view has not changed. She noted that the company faces two major headwinds: the housing and automotive markets, where mill and plant closures that began in 2025 are still dragging on volumes. This is a weight Kenney said CSX expects to carry through Q3 2026 as it laps those closures. Aluminum shortages in the automotive supply chain are adding to that pressure, she added.

On the brighter side, Kenney stated that US infrastructure investment is lifting demand for aggregates and cement, and that this is flowing through CSX’s minerals segment. However, she added a caveat that this segment is a lower revenue-per-unit category compared to chemicals and forest products.

CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) is a US freight rail company. It operates more than 21,000 route miles across 23 states, the District of Columbia, and two Canadian provinces. It transports coal, chemicals, agricultural products, automobiles, and consumer goods.

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