The Conrail Shared Assets Operation seems to be a fine example of two rival carriers that are nevertheless able to cooperate in certain key markets…NJ, Philadelphia, MI… for mutual benefit. Why isn’t this model used more extensively by other roads?..i.e. CN and CP would probably realize efficiencies by sharing yard and maintenance facilities…as would BNSF and UP and probably a few other carriers…
you’re right - and it is, but probably ‘below the radar screen’ for most of us. CSAO is notable because of the circumstances at the time - it had to be formed as a separate entity as part of the CR break-up - that’s not always the case.
Note that you’re asking about 2 different arrangements - a more or less ‘neutral’ terminal or switching road such as CSAO at first, and then second, some version of terminal trackage rights or “joint facilities” between the 2 (or more) line-haul roads, without a separate 3rd-party switching/terminal road being involved.
Also, your question seems to focus more on smaller and more discrete terminal/ yard/ markets than a trackage rights arrangement that may cover several dozen to several hundred miles of “line-haul”.
Locally, CP (via D&H) acquired rights into Allentown-Bethlehem, Philadelphia, Harrisburg (?), North Jersey, and Washington, D.C. as a result of the formation of ConRail, to attempt to maintain some semblance of competition in those markets. CP used to have a GP-type switcher stationed at the Phila. waterfront for that traffic, but everyplace else it used either CR or 3rd party switching. just after the CR split, CP acquired trackage rights from ALbany, NY down into western Long Island over CSX, I believe - though I don’t know exactly how it switches or terminates its traffic to there.
I’ll let others comment on similar operations and arrangements in their portions of North America.
- Paul North.
Actually it is and has been used in many places…most terminal roads or switching roads fall into that catagory…St. Louis or Washington (DC) Terminal roads are examples as are several of the roads around Chicago. Some were owned by several roads but mergers have reduced their ownerships considerably.
Conrail Shared Assets Operations IS Conrail and is now classified as a large terminal road. It’s not that different from operations such as BRC or TRRA except that it doesn’t have any motive power of its own and depends on the parent roads to provide it, a situation not unlike that of PTRA before it acquired its MK1500’s.