Just ran across a blurb in the paper about a $2 billion NS project to build a high speed corridor from Louisiana to New Jersey running along Interstate 81. Anyone have more information? For instance, are they actually talking about paralleling 81 through VA, MD, and PA or in the general vicinity?
Poppyl
I think Don Phillips wrote a column proposing this about 10 years ago. I guess the 2 new terminals will be near Chattanooga or Knoxville and Hagerstown. I can’t see this project being of any use for passenger trains.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070606/norfolk_southern_corridor.html?.v=1
More info here http://www.nscorp.com/nscorphtml/speech07/investorday/mrm060607.pdf
Not much detail, though.
From Newark to Manville, NJ, is part of Conrail Shared Assets, with NS owning or leasing the remainder. The heritage is quite mixed, as is the tonnage presently handled, according to RRPicturearchives’ tonnage map.
Newark to Manville, 23 miles, Conrail-Lehigh Valley, 60 to 100 MGT.
Manville to Phillipsburg, NJ, 42 miles, Conrail-Lehigh Valley, 20-40 MGT.
Phillipsburg to Easton, PA, 1 mile, Conrail-CNJ, 40-60 MGT.
Easton to Allentown, PA, 16 miles, Conrail-LV, 40-60 MGT.
Allentown to Harrisburg, PA, 92 miles, Conrail-Reading, 60-100 MGT.
Harrisburg to Shippensburg, PA, 40 miles, Conrail-Reading, 20-40 MGT.
Shippensburg to Hagerstown, MD, 34 miles, Conrail-PC-PRR, 20-40 MGT.
Hagerstown to Riverton, VA, 58 miles, NS-N&W, 20-40 MGT.
Riverton to Glasgow, VA, 136 miles, NS-N&W, 10-20 MGT.
Gasgow to Roanoke, VA, 47 miles, NS-N&W, 20-40 MGT.
Roanoke to Walton, VA, 42 miles, NS-N&W, 40-60 MGT.
Walton to Bristol, VA/TN, 111 miles, NS-N&W, 10-20 MGT.
Bristol to Bulls Gap, TN, 76 miles, NS-Southern, 10-20 MGT.
Bulls Gap to Morristown, TN, 16 miles, NS-Southern, 20-40 MGT.
Morristown to Knoxville, TN, 39 miles, NS-Southern, 40-60 MGT.
Knoxville to Birmingham, AL, 261 miles, NS-Southern, 20-40 MGT.
Birmingham to Meridian, MS, 160 miles, NS-Southern-AGS, 40-60 MGT.
Meridian to New Orleans, LA, 203 miles, NS-Southern-NO&NE, 20-40 MGT.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Sorry, excuse me. Im prostrate under the computer desk frozen in laughing. I know every mile of that I-81 from trucking these last two decades and frankly Ive watch it slowly clog up like a blood vessal suffering blockage.
If they build anything high speed it’s going to have to be on 50 foot concrete bridges TGV style which NO one along that road would want. Add the general lay of the land you are going to be seriously challenged power wise along that road. And in addition; you will be trying to work around History with the lands related to the Nation’s past.
That road is like 420 miles of fun and one of the most important to the USA.
When railroads refer to the I-81 corridor or the I-95 corridor they are refering to their existing lines that roughly parrallel these Interstate Highways. The project being referenced is a capacity improvement project so more trains and more tonnage can be handled. From personal experience, I-81 has the most truck traffic of of any of the Interstates I have traveled which includes I-70, I-80, I-95, I-75, I-77, I-26, I-40, I-57, I-24, I-10, I-83, I-87 and all their ancillary belts etc. I-81 is currently the primary truck route between the Northeast and the Atlanta area and the rest of the Southeast radiating from Atlanta.
And all traffic orginating along I 40 and points south and west all the way to California abd the Gulf Coast as well. Some nights there is not one legal parking spot availible between Harrisburg/Allentown/Scranton all the way down to Knoxville/Raliegh areas.
Perhaps then this capacity expansion project will create some draw to get trailers off of congested roads then. Could be a good thing.
Thanks for the info, Dale.
Looking at you information it would seem to me that the question would be what would NS do to get from Hagerstown to its intermodel yard at Harrisburg since CSX controls the trackage from Hagerstown through Shippensburg to Harrisburg. A terminal at Hagerstown doesn’t seem to make much sense to me since NS has a relatively new one up the road in Harrisburg.
There was/is talk about upgrading the NS line into Hagerstown and CSX on to Harrisburg as a means of diverting traffic around the Baltimore/DC area.
Poppyl
CSX does not control the trackage from Hagerstown to Harrisburg (Enola). CSX trains operate on NS trackage rights from Hagerstown to Enola. CSX Intermodal is building a new intermodal ramp facility at Chambersburg, PA to tap traffic from all the Distribution Centers that have been built in the greater Harrisburg vicinity. The CSX Lurgan SD between Hagerstown and Lurgan has been downgraded and is only served by local freights.
Thanks for clarifying that. I have never seen NS operating in that direction out of Hagerstown but it makes sense that it is their trackage. Adding to my mistaken impression was the somewhat confusing discussion the future ownership of this line during the CSX/NS carve up of Conrail.
Poppyl
I live near the NS Birmingham-Chattanoga line (Attalla, AL), which seems under utilized to me, no intermodal that I know of. Is this line apt to see more traffic if this project develops?
Northtowne
Poppyl: The following cut and paste from the CSX website[ Media] might explain why NS has put forth this project now… Competition and the chance to put a harpoon in the Federal Treasury for big bucks on an RRIF loan!!
| News and Events CSX Transportation Submits a Proposal to Ease Congestion in the Southeast Released: May 30, 2007 JACKSONVILLE, Fla., (May 30, 2007) - CSX Transportation (CSXT) submitted an application to the U.S. Department of Transportation seeking Corridor of the Future designation for the 1,200 mile I-95 rail corridor between Washington, DC and Miami. The application proposes a long-term plan to address the increasing passenger and freight transportation needs of the United States at a time when a growing population and economy are straining existing transportation infrastructure. “CSXT and the rail industry are well positioned to meet the current and future transportation needs of the United States,” said Tony Ingram, chief operating officer of CSX Transportation. “We believe that the Corridor will serve as an example of how well-planned, comprehensive investment in rail infrastructure can support personal mobility and economic development while improving safety and environmental practices.” The Corridors of the Future program is one element of the Department of Transportation’s six-point National Strategy to Reduce Congestion on America’s Transportation Network launched in May 2006. The overall national congestion initiative is focused on reducing traffi |
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