Southern Tier - why so much upkeep for little traffic?

Oh let's not start this up again. You'll hold my feet to the fire. Infrastructure is still not place at Mechanicsville for Patriot Corridor. I'm sure NS operations and development will begin Patriot Corridor Service when the indicators warrant the launch. There's still room to grow with the existing 930/931 schedule.

Now as far as NYSW east of Bing, there must be a move soon as even with the lease arrangement, the car count vs operational cost makes it a no win situation, unless they're just looking at positive cash flow, vs. profit.

With NS 3rd quarter record results even in this economy with export coal, this area is merely branch line status. One long branch line.

Your thoughts? I have a query in place to get an answer.

K4Pacific wrote:Oh let's not start this up again. You'll hold my feet to the fire.

Don't worry K4, "northjerseybuff" likes to hold your feet to the fire!

I would believe this line would receive some sort of increase or new traffic IF this economy was robust and thriving, but that is not the case. Don't expect any new trains or increase in traffic on the Tier or anywhere else with this "end of the beginning" recession we are currently in.

K4,

Should we be playing Taps for the line? Perhaps it will be one more casualty of this economy... and I wouldnt look for a "Southern Tier Bailout" by the Obama admistration.

northjerseybuff wrote:So what ever happened to the trains coming onto the line? Is NS still looking at the line? Haven't heard anything in months now....

If some trains don't appear in the next six hours, I'd just assume they're going to abandon it and bid it out for scrap. I'm surprised that they haven't sped up the schedule for running more trains, we already told NS it was a good idea. Isn't that enough?

SecaucusJunction wrote:Should we be playing Taps for the line?

Yes, by all means, please. That way we can end this rediculous thread and stop berating K4 for everything he says.

I have a call into *+#&@ and was put to Voice mail, he will call back as he always does. Otto, please don't feel the thread is ridiculous as your viewers deserve answers. Heck, I want answers. Dialogue is communication offering the best discourse. And thank you for merging the thread (or is it weaving).

K4Pacific wrote: Otto, please don't feel the thread is ridiculous as your viewers deserve answers. Heck, I want answers.

If you're cool, I'm cool. I'm just tired of people looking for a timetable for the nest eastbound.

-otto-

K4Pacific wrote:Remember CR was paying in NYS taxes the combined 13 states it ran.

Yup. That's why most of the NYS rail network has been dismantled. Without tax relief of some sort, up come the rails.

K4Pacific wrote:It stems back from the old southern rr – apparently they were big in innovation and upkeep of infrastructure.

Ties rot faster in the south. Gotta keep ahead of them. Up here the ties are in cold storage half the year.

NS operating officials on the Southern Tier Line are preparing for a downturn in traffic in the forseeable future due to the economy. No new hires will be probable for the beginning of 2009. As traffic decreases look for some trains to go from it's daily mark up to three times a week. I have no information with regards to NYS&W east of Binghamton, but I assume traffic would dwindle on the every other day service provided.

I'd drop the fire on this thread and put it in the house.

Well Mr. K-4, as I noted over at this now-apparently related topic, the new US Senator from NY (guess she has now been sworn-in) seems to think that the ERIE (Southern Tier in newspeak) would be a great route for high-speed passenger rail.

Great views from atop Starrucca, not too many people around to ride (as I once did during June 1960).

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 28&t=58750

Oh well, guess the MOW "surge" that gave rise to this topic can be considered a "down payment' on her "initiative"

Gilbert B Norman wrote:Well Mr. K-4, as I noted over at this now-apparently related topic, the new US Senator from NY (guess she has now been sworn-in) seems to think that the ERIE (Southern Tier in newspeak) would be a great route for high-speed passenger rail.

No one actually said the Erie route was being considered..it wasnt mentioned by name in any proposals..
some railfans might have assumed that some articles MIGHT be referring to the Erie..but that is open to intrepretation,
and IMO none of the recent proposals and news stories have actually referred to the Erie at all..

Scot

If not the ERIE, what other routing might the esteemed Junior US Senator from New York have in mind?

BTW, she is now sworn-in.

Gilbert B Norman wrote:If not the ERIE, what other routing might the esteemed Junior US Senator from New York have in mind?

BTW, she is now sworn-in.

Whoops, we already have a "high-speed Erie" thread... http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=128&t=58750