CSXT 3185 and CSXT 3247 leading UPS train I001-29 at Kirkville, NY.

Priority intermodal train I001 is a once-a-week train that runs from North Bergen, New Jersey, to Bedford Park, Illinois. I001 and its counterpart I002 are probably the highest priority trains on CSX, due to them carry high priority UPS trailers and containers.

I001-29 at CP280 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision

Last Tuesday, I was at Kirkville, New York, to see what the view of CP280 was like from Brewer Road. Shortly after arriving at where Brewer Road dead-ends at the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision, I saw the crossing lights at North Kirkville Road begin to flash. Looking to the east, beyond the crossing, I saw the headlight of CSXT 3185 peaking above the crest of the small hill near the crossing. I001-29 wasn't wasting any time as it hustled west on Track 2 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision, doing close to fifty miles per hour. 

Looking east, from Brewer Rd., as I001-29 splits the automatic signals for Track 2 and Track 1.

CP280 is a "semi" control point. The only track with a controlled signal is Track 4. The block signals for Track 1 and Track 2 are automatic block signals and are approach lit. This means the block signals turn on when a train approaches them. Track 4's signals are constantly lit due to them being part of the CP. The default aspect, shown in the photograph above, is "approach." 

I001 and I002 today

I001 departs North Bergen, New Jersey, on Tuesdays and arrives at Bedford Park, Illinois, the next day. The total trip takes approximately 24 hours and covers a distance of just over a thousand miles. North Bergen is on the western side of the Hudson River, across from Manhattan Island. Bedford Park is in the Chicago, Illinois area. The majority of the train's cargo is UPS trailers and containers, and due to the premium price paid to move them, I001 doesn't stop at any other terminals along its route. I002, I001's counterpart, departs Bedford Park, Illinois, on Thursdays and arrives at North Bergen, New Jersey, on Fridays.

I001 and I002 in the past

On midnight on October 18, 2021, CSX changed the prefix from "Q" to "I" for intermodal trains. Q001 and Q002 became I001 and I002. Going back even further, Q001 and Q002 were the replacement trains for Q153 and Q100. Q153 and Q100 were known as the "Bullet Trains." This nickname was due to the trains being run for UPS to provide fourth-morning delivery service between the New York City area on the east coast and Los Angeles, California, on the west coast. Just like today's trains, Q153 and Q100 ran once a week. Q153 departed Little Ferry, New Jersey, just north of North Bergen, New Jersey, late on Monday nights. Q100 departed Chicago on Thursdays after the trailers arrived from the West Coast. 

Photograph taken on March 29, 2022, at Kirkville, New York.

Posted updated on April 8, 2022, with historical information.