We all witnessed the fall of CSX Transportation under E. Hunter Harrison. A friend of mine convinced me that the CEO was going to ruin everything CSX has, for a long time, been known quite well for. He was 100% right. I was extremely infuriated by many of EHH’s decisions. These have caused so many pains, such as longer car dwell times in rail yards, mass-thinning of its locomotive fleet, and other things that just made me angry. I even witnessed employee strikes at CSX offices around the country
Now, after CSX’s assets were split among the New York, Susquehanna & Western, and Norfolk Southern, things are returning to normal, if not much better than before. The NYS&W has become a Class One Railroad, and have been leasing a ton of power from different sources. Norfolk Southern has begun making improvements on its Moodna Secondary, Northern Tier Line, and the reborn Southern Tier Line, which NS hasn’t used much at all since the Conrail split in 1999.
Until now, to reiterate, the Southern Tier was not used much by NS at all since 1999. However, recent intentions have given the Southern Tier a new beginning. We are seeing things on the Southern Tier we haven’t seen at all since the Conrail Era. This is exciting for a railroad fan like me. Many intermodal trains, such as 20K, 212, and 20W have reportedly been re-routed onto the Southern Tier Line, as well as many manifest and bulk commodity trains.
Another exciting thing NS has done is prepare the Moodna Secondary and Northern Tier Line for a return of commuter trains. All of the passenger railroads near these lines will be involved in this project. According to a news report earlier this week, Amtrak, Metro-North, New Jersey Transit, and Norfolk Southern themselves, will even “share pool equipment, meaning any one of them can have equipment on the trains at any given time.” The stations along these new routes are fitted with the latest equipment, as well as many accommodations such as free maps, phones available 24/7, restrooms, and even snacks for the ride.
I expect all sorts of good to come from this. Many people will be attracted to this service, and the friendly crews will make things even better for them. I am hopeful that things will go more than well for Norfolk Southern in the future. The Post-CSX era is already shaping up to be a prominent one. We hope to never see something like what EHH caused ever again.
Thomas R. Boyer – Railroad Insider
East Rutherford, New Jersey