Digest: CP says CN plan to sell line in Louisiana fails to address larger competitive concerns

CP calls CN plan to sell KCS line ‘token divestment,’ remains critical of merger’s competitive impact

Canadian Pacific says Canadian National’s plans to divest a Kansas City Southern line in Louisiana is “clear recognition” of the competitive issues created by the proposed CN-KCS merger. In a Thursday statement, CP also said the “token divestment” would not address the issues resulting from the two roads’ parallel north-south routes through Mississippi and Louisiana. CN and KCS announced plans to sell the 70-mile line between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La., on Wednesday as part of their joint request to place KCS in a voting trust while regulators consider the merger [see “CN and KCS take first step toward merger,” Trains News Wire, May 26, 2021]. While KCS has chosen CN’s bid over the earlier CP offer, CP has said it will continue to pursue regulatory approval for the CP-KCS deal in the event CN-KCS is not approved. The latest CP statement continued the railroad’s efforts to highlight what it sees as competitive issues and reasons a CN voting trust for KCS would not be in the public interest.

Siemens acquires Canadian firm RailTerm

Siemens Mobility has acquired RailTerm, a Canadian company based in Dorval, Quebec providing track and signaling, electrification, and communications systems servicing. Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, CEO of Siemens Mobility in Canada, said the acquisition will help Siemens address Canadian needs to upgrade technologies for both passenger and freight operations. “Siemens Mobility is one of the few companies in the world that understands the DNA of both systems,” Desjardins-Siciliano said in a press release. “As so many Canadian cities are moving to upgrade their public transportation infrastructures, we stand ready to help them design, build, finance, operate and maintain these future-enhancing services in the best way possible.” RailTerm currently serves more than 70 railroads and transit agencies globally.

New Haven, Vt., station to be saved, city official says

A Vermont railroad station that faced demolition to make room for Amtrak service will be saved, according to a town official. The Sun-Vermont Eagle reports the New Haven, Vt., station, which dates to the 1850s, will be moved to a vacant lot next to the New Haven Town Office parking lot, a location several miles from its current location. The station will be moved sometime after Oct. 1, at a cost estimated at $600,000. Some of the necessary funds will come from the state’s transportation budget, town Selectman Steve Dupoise told the newspaper, and the city has applied for a regional grant for additional funding. The station, built for the Rutland & Burlington Railroad, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. If not moved, it would have to be moved to meet clearance requirements for the planned extension of Amtrak’s Ethan Allen Express to Burlington, Vt. [see “Digest: Batory joins R.J. Corman board …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 1, 2021].