Delaware-Lackawanna
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad has reached a five-year operating lease agreement extension with the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority. The agreement covers more than 90 miles of track in Lackawanna, Wayne, Monroe, and Northampton counties in northeast Pennsylvania.
At its May meeting, the Authority’s board voted unanimously to extend the agreement, set to expire later this year.
The Delaware-Lackawanna, a subsidiary of GVT Rail, serves more than 25 customers and has 30 employees in the Scranton area.
The Alco-powered short line had a record year in 2014, showing a 12.4 percent increase in carloads compared with 2013. It is also working with four potential new customers, which it expects to add in 2015.
I've been wondering if Norfolk Southern's acquisition of Canadian Pacific's line in Pennsylvania (and Taylor Yard) will bring an end to D-L's trains over the Poconos to the interchange at Slateford Junction.
Secure those new customers, they're the key to survival. I don't recall who said it, but someone once said that your typical shortline, even if it performed perfectly with no issues for a year, could annually face a loss of 10% of its traffic for reasons totally out of its control.