As a native Californian, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Santa Fe, and still mourn the BN merger. After the UP consumed the SP, California is a “two horse town”. I heard a rumor that the BNSF had it’s sights set on another merger but I’ve heard nothing to confirm such an action. Anyone know the answer?
Well…awhile back BNSF had its eyes on NS but nothing has really happened since to tell us that a BNSF/NS merger could occur.
I think it will be a few years before the next round of mergers starts, if at all. There will probably be more joint service agreements, trackage rights, haulage rights, etc. in the future but outright mergers are unlikely for a while.
I don’t think their be any thought of a merger unless one of the six Class I is headed for bankrupcy. Even then enviroment will be completely different than in the last part of the 20th century.
Don’t forget the 1999 plan that had BNSF and CN planning to get together.
If that was going to happen, then CP and the UP were going to get together, and I remember after that it all fell apart pretty quick.
I’ve said this on all the similar threads on this topic. I doubt that the anti-trust regulators would allow any more mergers especially between the “big 5” (UP. BNSF, NS, CSX, CN). Perhaps a KCS or CP merger could occur since they are smaller.
The biggest problem with that combination is the large gap in between them. CP got rid of what became the IMRL because they didn’t think they needed to serve Kansas City. The IMRL was “less than successful” and became a corporate sibling to DM&E.
KCS, on the other hand, only barely reaches Chicago, that being via ex-GWWR trackage rights and possibly some haulage rights. KCS is also heavily involved in assimilating the recent TFM purchase. CP seems to be happy with where they are at, and the third potential player in such a merger, DME/ICE parent Cedar American, is heavily involved in Powder Basin expansion (not cheap!). So none of those three would possibly be interested in a merger, at least not at this time.
Of course, that being said, I think it would be interesting to see a spun-off regional (such as the Cedar American properties) acquire a Class 1 (such as CP), and apply the customer-oriented attitude to the Class 1 property. It seems as though all the Class 1s want to do is run big trains from point A to point B and not bother with smaller customers – or potential customers. The opposite effect has been the case with another Class 1 that bought regional railroads in the past few years.
-Mark
www.fuzzyworld3.com
I believe railroads are having a hard time dealing with the traffic they have now. I don’t believe a merger, in the US, is currently in the best interest of the shippers either.
BNSF+NS=BNSF Railway
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
If there was going to be anoter merger, I guess that I would like to see a KCS + ICE + MRL + DME combination…a new Class I anybody?
Ok, Richard, since its your first post here, I wont yell at you. But you really need to look back to see if there are any similar topics on a particular subject (which on this one there are quite a few)
I’m sick of hearing those dumb BNSF/NS merger rumors. I think it will happen, but not for a long time. As a matter of fact, I recall first hearing them in '99.
[(-D]LOL[(-D]
Allan.
AAAHHHHHH! BNSF Railway sound sooooooooooooooooo bad!!!
Oh wait, there already is a company called BNSF Railway…
Guilford will buy out BNSF…
I have a logo with the NS horse head and stripes with the BNSF swoosh. It looks really cool, but I don’t have a scanner, so I can’t show you. It was on the table at the yard office one day.
Personally I hope that NS never merges with BNSF or anyone else. I know this topic is supposed to be about BNSF, but I would like to say that I don’t think NS will merge with anybody for at least 30 years, maybe even longer. I think that a merger right now between any one of the Class I RR’s other than maybe KCS would be a disaster!! The employees of the merging railroads probably wouldn’t get along very well and from what I’ve heard NS is a very honest railroad but can also be very ruthless when it comes to business. I’ve heard that if BNSF or anyone else ever tried to acquire NS that they would fight it until the very end using everything they had. And if they did get acquired, they would never work with their new owner, making a merger a disaster. Of course, the leadership NS has now will change someday, and NS could have leaders someday that would love to merge, but right now I don’t think NS will merge with BNSF. And something else, if most people think that NS and BNSF will merge simply because they share engines and trains a lot, well also consider that recently I have seen more UP engines and UP trains here more than BNSF. Of the 19 trains through here a day at least 3 or 4 might be a UP train with UP power on it. NS has even been using an unpatched CNW C44-9W and a UP SD70M to do the local grain switching at the elevators here. So, what I’m trying to say is that you can’t decide who will merge by simply looking at who they trade with and work with the most.
I think if a railroad wants to merge with another railroad it will happen wether one of the roads likes it or not.
Well I guess NS employees don’t like their jobs and the pay the comes with it so they should just quit before a merger between these 2 does happen…because trust me on this one,a merger will happen within the next 10 years,maybe not between BNSF and NS but it will happen…I guarantee it.[8D]