Employee Benefit Plans (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 26, 2014

Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Disclosures [Abstract]

Schedule of summary of participants

The Company engages independent actuaries to compute the amounts of liabilities and expenses relating to these plans subject to the assumptions that the Company selects. In order to perform this valuation, the actuaries are provided with the details of the population covered at the beginning of the year, summarized in the table below, and projects that population forward to the end of the year. These amounts are reviewed by management.

	Summary of Participants as of
	January 1, 2014
	Pension Plans	Post-retirement Medical Plan
Active Employees	5,136	2,031
Retirees and Beneficiaries	11,699	12,148
Other(a)	5,444	87
Total	22,279	14,266

(a) For pension plans, the other category consists mostly of terminated but vested former employees.  For post-retirement plans, the other category consists of employees on long-term disability that have not yet retired.

Schedule of future expected benefit payments

Future expected benefit payments are as follows:

	Expected Cash Flows
(Dollars in Millions)	Pension Benefits		Post-retirement Benefits
2015	$	207	$	37
2016	188		34
2017	188		33
2018	185		30
2019	186		28
2020-2024	931		114
Total	$	1,885	$	276

Schedule of allocation of plan assets

The distribution of pension plan assets as of the measurement date is shown in the table below, and these assets are netted against the pension liabilities on the balance sheet.

	December 2014				December 2013
			Percent of				Percent of
(Dollars in Millions)	Amount		Total Assets		Amount		Total Assets
Equity	$	1,715	68	%	$	1,619	65	%
Fixed Income	740		30		795		32
Cash and Cash Equivalents	49		2		86		3
Total	$	2,504	100	%	$	2,500	100	%

Schedule of changes in benefit obligation and fair value of plan assets

Changes in benefit obligation and the fair value of plan assets for the 2014 and 2013 calendar plan years are as follows:

	Pension Benefits						Post-retirement Benefits
	Plan Year			Plan Year			Plan Year			Plan Year
(Dollars in Millions)	2014			2013			2014			2013
Actuarial Present Value of Benefit Obligation
Accumulated Benefit Obligation	$	2,849		$	2,538		N/A			N/A
Projected Benefit Obligation	3,002			2,679			$	340		$	350
Change in Projected Benefit Obligation:
Projected Benefit Obligation atBeginning of Plan Year	$	2,679		$	2,954		$	350		$	415
Service Cost	44			49			3			3
Interest Cost	123			108			13			13
Plan Participants' Contributions	—			—			7			8
Workforce Reduction Program/Curtailment	27			—			8			—
Actuarial Loss (Gain)	333			(275		)	(8		)	(49		)
Benefits Paid	(204		)	(157		)	(33		)	(40		)
Benefit Obligation at End of Plan Year	$	3,002		$	2,679		$	340		$	350
Change in Plan Assets:
Fair Value of Plan Assets at Beginning of Plan Year	$	2,500		$	2,294		$	—		$	—
Actual Return on Plan Assets	195			350			—			—
Non-qualified Employer Contributions	13			13			26			32
Plan Participants' Contributions	—			—			7			8
Benefits Paid	(204		)	(157		)	(33		)	(40		)
Fair Value of Plan Assets at End of Plan Year	2,504			2,500			—			—
Funded Status at End of Plan Year	$	(498	)	$	(179	)	$	(340	)	$	(350	)

Schedule of amount recognized in balance sheet

Amounts related to pension and post-retirement benefits recorded in other long-term assets, labor and fringe benefits payable and other long-term liabilities on the balance sheet are as follows:

	Pension Benefits						Post-retirement Benefits
	December			December			December			December
(Dollars in Millions)	2014			2013			2014			2013
Amounts Recorded in Consolidated
Balance Sheets:
Long-term Assets (a)	$	9		$	44		$	—		$	—
Current Liabilities	(15		)	(14		)	(37		)	(38		)
Long-term Liabilities	(492		)	(209		)	(303		)	(312		)
Net Amount Recognized in
Consolidated Balance Sheets	$	(498	)	$	(179	)	$	(340	)	$	(350	)

(a) Long-term assets as of December 2014 relate to one of the qualified pension plans whose assets exceed projected benefit obligations.

Benefit obligations in excess of plan assets

At December 2014, the status of CSX plans only with a net liability is disclosed below. The total fair value of all plans as of December 2014 was $2.5 billion, which includes the qualified pension plans with net assets.

	Aggregate		Aggregate
(Dollars in Millions)	Fair Value		Projected
Benefit Obligations in Excess of Plan Assets	of Plan Assets		Benefit Obligation
Projected Benefit Obligation	$	2,461	$	(2,968	)
Accumulated Benefit Obligation	2,461		(2,815		)

Schedule of net benefit expense

The following table describes the components of expense/(income) related to net benefit expense recorded in labor and fringe on the income statement.

	Pension Benefits Fiscal Years									Post-retirement Benefits Fiscal Years
(Dollars in Millions)	2014			2013			2012			2014			2013			2012
Service Cost	$	44		$	49		$	44		$	3		$	3		$	4
Interest Cost	123			108			123			13			13			16
Expected Return on Plan Assets	(166		)	(162		)	(166		)	—			—			—
Amortization of Net Loss	57			100			82			5			14			9
Amortization of Prior Service Cost	—			—			—			(1		)	(1		)	(1		)
Net Periodic Benefit Expense	58			95			83			20			29			28
Special Termination Benefits - Workforce Reduction Program/Curtailment(a)	27			—			—			8			—			—
Settlement Gain(b)	(1		)	(2		)	(2		)	—			—			—
Total Expense	$	84		$	93		$	81		$	28		$	29		$	28

(a) These charges result from a management workforce reduction program that was initiated in 2014. For further information regarding the program, see Note 1. Nature of Operations and Significant Accounting Policies.

(b) Settlement gains were recognized as one of the pension plan's lump-sum payments exceeded the sum of the service cost and interest cost recognized.  The gain is the recognition of a portion of its accumulated other comprehensive income related to that plan

Schedule of pre-tax change in other comprehensive loss (income)

The following table shows the pre-tax change in other comprehensive loss (income) attributable to the components of net expense and the change in benefit obligation for CSX for pension and other post-employment benefits.

(Dollars in Millions)	Pension Benefits						Post-retirement Benefits
Components of Other Comprehensive	December			December			December			December
Loss (Income)	2014			2013			2014			2013
Recognized in the balance sheet
Losses (Gains)	$	305		$	(462	)	$	(8	)	$	(48	)
Expense (Income) recognized in the income statement
Amortization of net losses (a)	$	57		$	100		$	5		$	14
Settlement gain	(1		)	(2		)	—			—
Amortization of prior service costs (b)	—			—			(1		)	(1		)

(a) Amortization of net losses estimated to be expensed for 2015 is approximately $70 million and $5 million for pension benefits and post-retirement benefits, respectively. The increase in amortization is largely related to the impact of lower discount rates and adoption of new mortality tables, partially offset by favorable pension asset experience.

(b) Amortization of prior service costs estimated to be expensed in 2015 is less than $1 million for pension benefits. The estimated post-retirement benefits amount to be credited to expense for 2015 is $1 million.

Schedule of pre-tax amounts to be amortized that included in accumulated other comprehensive loss

As of December 2014, the balances of pre-tax amounts to be amortized that are included in accumulated other comprehensive loss (a component of shareholders’ equity) are as follows:

	Pension Benefits		Post-retirement Benefits
Losses	$	908	$	59
Prior Service Costs (Credits)	—		(1		)
Total	$	908	$	58

Schedule of weighted-average assumptions used

Weighted-average assumptions used in accounting for the plans were as follows:

	Pension Benefits				Post-retirement Benefits
	2014		2013		2014		2013
Expected Long-term Return on Plan Assets:
Benefit Cost for Plan Year	7.50	%	7.75	%	N/A		N/A
Benefit Obligation at End of Plan Year	7.25	%	7.50	%	N/A		N/A
Discount Rates:
Benefit Cost for Plan Year	4.75	%	3.75	%	4.25	%	3.20	%
Benefit Obligation at End of Plan Year	4.00	%	4.75	%	3.60	%	4.25	%
Salary Scale Inflation	3.75	%	3.75	%	N/A		N/A

Schedule of health care cost trend rates

Additionally, there are cost differentials between Medicare and Non-Medicare eligible individuals which are reflected below.

	Post-retirement Benefits
	2014	2013
Health Care Cost Trend Rate:
Components of Benefit Cost:  Non-Medicare Eligible	8.0%	8.5%
Components of Benefit Cost:  Medicare Eligible	7.5%	8.0%
Benefit Obligations:  Non-Medicare Eligible	8.0%	8.0%
Benefit Obligations:  Medicare Eligible	7.5%	7.5%