CSX to pay Baltimore $2 million for tunnel fire cleanup

CSX to pay Baltimore $2 million for tunnel fire cleanup    CSX Transportation entered a settlement agreement with Baltimore City Monday that requires the Jacksonville, Fla.-based railroad to pay $2 million in cleanup expenses resulting from a 2001 tunnel derailment and fire.
   Under the agreement, CSX and Baltimore will also increase communications about hazardous and non-hazardous shipments. This includes the sharing of information about shipping patterns for use in planning future security measures, CSX said in a statement Monday.
   The city filed its case against CSX in July 2004. Prior to reaching the settlement agreement, both the city and the railroad conducted extensive investigations into what went wrong in the Howard Street Tunnel. The case was scheduled to go to trial March 13. The city will ask the Board of Estimates to approve the settlement at the board’s meeting Feb. 22.
   “Rather than continuing to litigate, both parties have agreed to dedicate shared resources and energy to further enhance safety and security in the city,” said Baltimore City Mayor Martin O’Malley in a statement.