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The View from Conrail Country
Author: PennDude
Date: 04-18-2022 - 18:14
The Ghost of John Kneiling Wrote:
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>
> Conrail was a double-edged sword. It improved
> efficiency but a lot of shippers got screwed when
> they had the misfortune of having their facility
> located on one of the many routes that Conrail
> chose to abandon.
Conrail did much more than improved efficiency. It reversed decades of disinvestment in the Northeast rail freight system. It replaced the bankrupt dysfunctional Penn Central with an effective railroad. It provided a shot in the arm to the rail network which was severely damaged by Hurricaine Agnes of 1972.
Regarding the lines which Conrail shed, many were not abandoned. Instead they were taken over by shortlines and regional railroads.
And doesn't it seem like
> everything the Government touches turns to caa
> caa?
Conrail was the best thing to happen to the Northeastern railroads during the second half of the 20th Century. It is the best example of successful American industrial policy.
Do we really want a freight rail system
> that's run like Amtrak?
>
It took about only ten years for Conrail to rise from the ashes of Penn Central and other bankrupt railroads to a prize which Norfolk Southern wanted to acquire. Apparently labor unions, many Northeastern politicians and maybe even shippers did not want Norfolk Southern to purchace any part of Conrail. I was living in Conrail Country at the time and remember the campaign opposed to the sale "Let Conrail be Conrail"
Around 12 or 13 years later, CSX and Norfolk Southern duked it out with each other to gain control of Conrail before they came to an agreement to split it up. At the time, I was living in a different part of Conrail Country. For my employer, I wrote comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statment on the proposed transaction which were submitted to the Surface Transportation Board.
Although I would have preferred that Conrail remained intact, the fact that two railroads would battle with each other to buy Conrail is evidence of its succeess.
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Conrail was a double-edged sword. It improved
> efficiency but a lot of shippers got screwed when
> they had the misfortune of having their facility
> located on one of the many routes that Conrail
> chose to abandon.
Conrail did much more than improved efficiency. It reversed decades of disinvestment in the Northeast rail freight system. It replaced the bankrupt dysfunctional Penn Central with an effective railroad. It provided a shot in the arm to the rail network which was severely damaged by Hurricaine Agnes of 1972.
Regarding the lines which Conrail shed, many were not abandoned. Instead they were taken over by shortlines and regional railroads.
And doesn't it seem like
> everything the Government touches turns to caa
> caa?
Conrail was the best thing to happen to the Northeastern railroads during the second half of the 20th Century. It is the best example of successful American industrial policy.
Do we really want a freight rail system
> that's run like Amtrak?
>
It took about only ten years for Conrail to rise from the ashes of Penn Central and other bankrupt railroads to a prize which Norfolk Southern wanted to acquire. Apparently labor unions, many Northeastern politicians and maybe even shippers did not want Norfolk Southern to purchace any part of Conrail. I was living in Conrail Country at the time and remember the campaign opposed to the sale "Let Conrail be Conrail"
Around 12 or 13 years later, CSX and Norfolk Southern duked it out with each other to gain control of Conrail before they came to an agreement to split it up. At the time, I was living in a different part of Conrail Country. For my employer, I wrote comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statment on the proposed transaction which were submitted to the Surface Transportation Board.
Although I would have preferred that Conrail remained intact, the fact that two railroads would battle with each other to buy Conrail is evidence of its succeess.
