<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ownershipDocument>

    <schemaVersion>X0306</schemaVersion>

    <documentType>4/A</documentType>

    <periodOfReport>2015-02-11</periodOfReport>

    <dateOfOriginalSubmission>2015-02-13</dateOfOriginalSubmission>

    <notSubjectToSection16>0</notSubjectToSection16>

    <issuer>
        <issuerCik>0000277948</issuerCik>
        <issuerName>CSX CORP</issuerName>
        <issuerTradingSymbol>CSX</issuerTradingSymbol>
    </issuer>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001237371</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>MUNOZ OSCAR</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>500 WATER STREET</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2></rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>JACKSONVILLE</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>FL</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>32202</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>1</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>0</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
            <officerTitle>President &amp; COO</officerTitle>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <nonDerivativeTable>
        <nonDerivativeHolding>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Common Stock</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>541549</value>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </nonDerivativeHolding>
    </nonDerivativeTable>

    <derivativeTable>
        <derivativeTransaction>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Phantom Stock</value>
                <footnoteId id="F1"/>
            </securityTitle>
            <conversionOrExercisePrice>
                <footnoteId id="F2"/>
            </conversionOrExercisePrice>
            <transactionDate>
                <value>2015-03-13</value>
                <footnoteId id="F3"/>
            </transactionDate>
            <deemedExecutionDate></deemedExecutionDate>
            <transactionCoding>
                <transactionFormType>4</transactionFormType>
                <transactionCode>A</transactionCode>
                <equitySwapInvolved>0</equitySwapInvolved>
            </transactionCoding>
            <transactionTimeliness>
                <value></value>
            </transactionTimeliness>
            <transactionAmounts>
                <transactionShares>
                    <value>1950</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F4"/>
                </transactionShares>
                <transactionPricePerShare>
                    <footnoteId id="F5"/>
                </transactionPricePerShare>
                <transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
                    <value>A</value>
                </transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
            </transactionAmounts>
            <exerciseDate>
                <footnoteId id="F1"/>
            </exerciseDate>
            <expirationDate>
                <footnoteId id="F1"/>
            </expirationDate>
            <underlyingSecurity>
                <underlyingSecurityTitle>
                    <value>Common Stock</value>
                </underlyingSecurityTitle>
                <underlyingSecurityShares>
                    <value>1950</value>
                </underlyingSecurityShares>
            </underlyingSecurity>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>1950</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F1"/>
                    <footnoteId id="F6"/>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>I</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
                <natureOfOwnership>
                    <value>Executive Deferred Compensation Plan</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F7"/>
                </natureOfOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </derivativeTransaction>
    </derivativeTable>

    <footnotes>
        <footnote id="F1">Prior to 2007, the Reporting Person deferred a portion of his cash compensation under the CSX Executive Deferred Compensation Plan, which was notionally invested into a fund that tracks to the value of CSX common stock.  These investments are considered phantom stock under Section 16. At the time of the Reporting Person's initial election and subsequent deferrals, the Company relied upon a third-party vendor to document the timing of each deferral.  The Company has since stopped using such vendor.  In the process of moving this responsibility to a new third-party, the information regarding the timing of deferrals was lost.  Since 2007, the Reporting Person has not deferred any portion of his cash compensation into investments that could be deemed phantom stock other than as a result of dividend reinvestments under the Plan.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F2">Each unit of phantom stock is the economic equivalent of one share of Company common stock.  Units of phantom stock become payable, in cash, consistent with the Reporting Person's distribution election made at the time of deferral.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F3">As a result of the loss of the historical transaction details, the Reporting Person is unable to provide the date of the earliest transaction.  Accordingly, the date of the last previously reported transaction was utilized.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F4">Includes units of phantom stock credited to the Reporting Person's account as a result of the dividend reinvestment feature of the Plan.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F5">Price of each unit of phantom stock was determined at the time of the applicable deferral pursuant to the Plan; therefore, the units have been acquired at various prices.  The prices at which the units were acquired is indeterminable.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F6">As the result of an administrative oversight by the Company, the Reporting Person did not timely file a Form 4 for any of the Reporting Person's cash deferrals under the  Plan.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F7">By Trustee, CSX Corporation Executive Deferred Compensation Plan.</footnote>
    </footnotes>

    <remarks></remarks>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>/s/ Mark D. Austin, Attorney-in-Fact</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2015-03-25</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>
</ownershipDocument>
