WASHINGTON — The Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger threatens to degrade intermodal service on the Meridian Speedway that serves as a shortcut between the Southeast and Southwest, Norfolk Southern told federal regulators this week.
NS and KCS currently operate interline intermodal trains over the Meridian, Miss.-Shreveport, La., joint venture. KCS handles the NS trains over its Shreveport-Wylie, Texas, main line on a haulage rights basis.
CP and KCS originally projected that the merger would produce no growth on the KCS route from Shreveport to Wylie, the location of KCS’s intermodal terminal outside Dallas. But NS says CP’s amended merger application shows that a combination of significant growth and operational changes would hurt NS’s intermodal service linking Wylie with points in the Southeast, including Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., and Jacksonville, Fla.
Canadian Pacific Kansas City would launch a new pair of trains between Wylie and Shreveport and annual tonnage on the route would rise by between 62% and 73%. CP also projects that post-merger the line will handle more bulk traffic. NS says these changes would strain capacity between Wylie and Shreveport.
In addition, CPKC’s operating plan proposes tacking merchandise traffic onto the NS intermodal trains that operate in the Wylie-Shreveport-Meridian corridor, which NS says would push them over siding length and extend transit times due to the need to pick up and set out cars en route.
Merchandise from KCS trains M-DASH (Dallas-Shreveport) and M-SHNS (Shreveport-NS at Meridian) would be added to the eastbound intermodal train, which carries KCS symbol I-DAAT2 but would be called 166 on CPKC. Westbound intermodal train I-ATDA2 would include merchandise traffic that now moves on M-NSJA (Meridian-Jackson, Miss.), M-JASH, and M-SHDA and receive new symbol 167.
The combined trains would run more than 13,000 feet long, NS says, citing current average lengths of the individual trains. The single-track KCS Wylie-Shreveport main has 10 sidings, with the three longest ranging between 11,190 feet and 11,987 feet. This means every other train operating on the line would have to hold in sidings while the new trains passed, NS says.
CPKC does not have capacity expansions planned for the Meridian-Wylie route, NS notes.
“If existing rail service deteriorates on the Meridian-Wylie Route, a significant portion of the intermodal freight that NS moves to or from the on the route (particularly NS’s premium and less-than-truckload … freight) is at risk of diversion to highway if the existing rail service deteriorates,” NS told the board.
NS asked the board to condition approval of the CP-KCS merger on enforcement of CP’s promises to support KCS’s existing interline routes. It also asked the board to make CP commit to making “no significant detrimental changes to current operations on the Meridian Speedway.”
NS repeated its request for trackage rights between Shreveport and Wylie that would kick if CPKC suffered a major service failure and only if NS elects to exercise its option to purchase the Wylie terminal from KCS. They would apply only to NS intermodal traffic moving to and from Wylie.
NS also raised concerns about growth at Wylie – both from NS and CPKC volume – overwhelming the terminal. NS’s lifts at the terminal grew 28% between 2019 and 2021.
FOAMER —- Yup I’m a foamer. Here’s a clue guys. Be a foamer but don’t act like one. Blend in. LaGrange (Illinois) on the Burlington is a busy pedestrian environment. All sorts of people going about their business at any given hour. Just be one of them. Close to where I live, on a smaller scale (both train-wise and people-wise) Elm Grove (Wisconsin) on the Canadian Pacific.
I don’t own a camera and I’d not be caught dead wearing a denim shirt with railroad patches.
Charles, I thought I was the only person who loves trains yet doesn’t own a camera!
Yeah. As in a few other comments NS is complaining about its own operating practices being proposed by someone else. I see an attempt to make somebody else pay for capacity improvements.
Mr. Thompson (above) asks how many years ago I discussed “foamers” with an old Burlington hand…they were easy to identify by uniforms, badging, and insignia. My guess is around 2001, although I am sure the term was used long before then. BTW, that line continues to fascinate…it did me coming in on the CZ some years back. However, the ROW from Denver in was awful, obviously for freight only.
NS is combining with Union Pacific on Happag Loyyd on East Coast West Coast Service
Check your map Rickie. That “new” traffic is just a few additional cars on existing train(s) & it’s going through Chicago, the most congested place on the map. It’s nothing to get excited about or even worth mentioning.
So let me understand this…an intermodal train that currently is short enough to be placed into sidings would be lengthened with merchandise traffic that would extend it’s length beyond any current sidings. This lengthened train then would have to NOT be stopped at any sidings as the current trains could be all because of added merchandise traffic, thereby causing it to not stop enroute(except to add the merchandise traffic) and would presumably be superior to all other traffic on the line? Yeah, that makes a whole lot of sense NS…perhaps you should have some high school kid review your arguments BEFORE you present them to the STB?
“”In addition, CPKC’s operating plan proposes tacking merchandise traffic onto the NS intermodal trains that operate in the Wylie-Shreveport-Meridian corridor, which NS says would push them over siding length and extend transit times due to the need to pick up and set out cars en route.
The combined trains would run more than 13,000 feet long, NS says, citing current average lengths of the individual trains. The single-track KCS Wylie-Shreveport main has 10 sidings, with the three longest ranging between 11,190 feet and 11,987 feet. This means every other train operating on the line would have to hold in sidings while the new trains passed, NS says.””
^^^ I don’t see how this is even worth the electrons it takes up. That’s NS’s model on their own system which delays so many of their own trains. This was discussed at the STB hearings several times. NS can do it & gloat about it & not care, but it is a problem when CPKCS does it? Oh please. The irony here.
Over the years I’m sure NS had opportunities to buy the route, upgrade it even more, or get trackage rights, but they didn’t. That’s their fault.
I would tell NS that we can’t take their word for it, that they would have to supply the operational data to prove it……oh wait, they told the STB that their operational data is proprietary and gives away competitive secrets in the recent Mobile/Amtrak STB hearings.
You see NS, if the shoe fits…..
CSX and BNSF are next on the “prove it will hurt you” list. We already know UP will suffer the most (Houston Terminal) and they don’t even have to prove it.
Looking at Google Maps, KCS, Wylie does not have good road access. Acceptable yes, it looks like a 3-5 mile drive to the nearest interstate.
Small potatoes, but one might wish the end usage of “Speedway”.l As all know it is the opposite. A similar malapropism is referenced to the old CB&Q Chicago-Aurora line as the “Racetrack.” While that line is triple-tracked, so are a whole bunch of others currently operated by Metra. Here’s the proof…many years ago in conversation with an old Burlington guy on that route, on that nomenclature, he derisively labelled it a “foamer” term. However, “Racetrack” continues to be used by those who should know better.
Good point Curtis. The mis-named “racetrack” is my home away from home. I’ve never once referred to it as the “racetrack”, not even in my unspoken thoughts to myself. I call it “The Burlington”. Same name as our older cat.
How many years ago. I never heard the word “foamer” until around 15 years ago.
For years railroad workers I would chat with would call people who like to follow trains and the radio traffic “foamers” and it was not in positive terms. It meant that they were somehow deranged or ill so much that they were foaming at the mouth just to get their eyes or ears on railroad operations.
Fast forward to recent days, I was directly challenged by a railfan that said being called a “foamer” was a compliment and reflected your dedication to ones rail hobby. They got downright angry if I suggested that it was not what they thought.
Call yourself as you choose, it’s ones right, but if someone called me a “foamer” for any reason, I wouldn’t embrace it and advise them to stop.
As for the “Racetrack” on the former Burlington, I always thought it got that name because they never removed their intermediate switches between the three tracks between Cicero and Aurora during the cost cutting 60’s and 70’s. This allowed them to continue to push freights, commuters and passenger services through the line without the use of sidings. Every train was allowed to maintain some level of speed.
Unlike the CNW, MILW and IC which did remove a large number of intermediate switches to reduce MOW costs. This subjected the CNW to numerous freight interference issues and schedule modifications with Metra years later.
The Houston debacle was pure hubris on UP’s part. There is no comparison.
The Meridian Speedway is jointly owned by KCS and NS. Perhaps they need to pony up some money for their anticipated growth. Same thing at Wylie. NS lifts grew by 28%.
NS could have made their own end-to-end merger application for KCS.
They could have sold the Gateway Western to CN or CSX, and given BNSF or UP select IM trackage or haulage rights to Atlanta and up to Charlotte to reduce any perceived anti-competitive. But since they did not have the foresight to make their own offer they are just crying over spilled milk, it would seem.
Shades of the UP/SP Houston debacle. What could go wrong. Would hope CP/KCS would agree to lengthen all the sidings or add double track sections to eliminate the potential congestions. But that would require investments that CP is loath to make so I will wait and see what happens.