CSX, one of North America’s leading transportation companies, partnered with Axios HQ to revamp how their board, execs and employees receive industry-critical news.
The challenge: CSX had long relied on a media monitoring series sent by standard email each morning, but it wasn’t driving engagement.
- Format fatigue: The legacy newsletter was a long list of headlines and links with little context. Leaders and their staff had to sift through articles themselves to understand implications.
- Fragmented delivery: Three separate newsletters were sent to the board, the executive team, and communications staff with overlapping but slightly different content.
- Limited reach: The audience was small (roughly 100–130 readers) and disjointed so the board, execs and comms staff weren’t always getting the same news, leaving insights scattered.
CSX needed a faster, smarter and more engaging way to communicate what was happening in rail, transportation and the broader economy so their audience could turn daily insights into action for policy, messaging and customer relationships.
The solution: CSX partnered with Axios HQ to reimagine their internal news experience with Smart Brevity and editorial expertise. The collaboration focused on:
- Editorial training: Axios HQ trained both CSX communicators and their partners at Watershed Analytics to deliver content in Smart Brevity, highlighting “why it matters” for their audience.
- Integration & alignment: The HQ team surveyed a pilot group of board members, executives, and staff to learn what information they need to get work done. Through daily collaboration, CSX and Watershed Analytics make sure each edition stays focused and provides the right context.
- “The Mainline” redesign: Editors from Axios HQ and writers from Watershed Analytics transformed the daily 7 a.m. newsletter into a sharp, contextual digest of what’s new, why it matters, and what actions leaders might need to take. Drawing on Watershed's media analytics expertise, the team made sure the series aligned with what the audience needed most when they needed it.
- Exclusive insights: Instead of overwhelming readers with every CSX mention, the new format focuses on what readers find most valuable, and not just what’s available. They also added “Mainline Exclusives” — content subscribers couldn’t find anywhere else — to increase value and loyalty.
📊 Key business results:
For CSX, The Mainline isn't just another email — the company built a daily habit that unites leaders around shared knowledge.
- Subscriber growth: The Mainline’s readership grew nearly 4x in three months, from 130 to nearly 500, driven entirely by organic demand and forwarding among colleagues.
- Stronger engagement: Open rates climbed significantly across audiences, with Board, Executive and Communications segments showing notable increases.
- CSX saw Board open rates jump from 61.9% to 100%, Executive open rates jump from 46.5% to 79.3%, and Communications open rates jump from 50.5% to 68.18%.
- Real time feedback shows the digest is now the most valuable way to stay informed on CSX, industry, and customer news.
- Efficiency gains: One cohesive version saved time, reduced duplication, and ensured consistent messaging across leadership groups.
- Cultural impact: Leaders cited The Mainline in meetings, policy discussions, and even with government officials.
- Strategic value: Survey data confirms leaders feel more equipped with the right information to do their jobs. Early anecdotal feedback also shows the newsletter helps executives anticipate and respond faster to industry developments.
What they’re saying: Employees call it “such a great product” with “the right voice” that “helps people stay on top of the things relevant to their world.”
- Others said it saves them time: “Everything is nicely posted so I do not have to go digging through various news channels.”
- They say it’s “exclusive info” they can’t get elsewhere and a peek into the business they usually don’t see.
What’s next: The initiative has also sparked new momentum: CSX is in the process of launching a sustainability newsletter after other teams requested their own series modeled on The Mainline. And leadership is considering industry awards to recognize the newsletter’s innovation in corporate communication.