DonPevsner wrote:(1)Do any NS freights use the former PRR main line from Philadelphia
to Harrisburg?
(2)Same question for the former PRR Trenton Cutoff.
(3)If not, I presume that all NS freights use the former LV/Reading route
if coming from the Metro NYC (New Jersey) area.
(4)However, how does NS get freights from the Philadelphia area to
Harrisburg, if not over the former PRR main line?
1) There are some freight trains that use the line (many of them from short lines that have a direct connect to the ex-PRR mainline/Amtrak Keystone Corridor), but the use is fairly limited.
2) There is a greater amount of usage on this line, as much of the traffic that heads southeast from Reading uses the cutoff.
3) Correct. The vast majority of NS rail freight goes between NYC/north Jersey-ABE-Reading-Harrisburg. The Port of NY/NJ is a much more significant port for container shipments than the Port of Philadelphia. Also, the Port of Philadelphia currently has some channel depth issues on the Delaware River.
4) Some of the freight is transported between Philadelphia and Reading and then between Reading and Harrisburg, while other (more) freight is moved on the Amtrak NEC (during overnight hours) and on the parallel CSX line between Philadelphia and Perryville, MD and then between Perryville and Harrisburg.
Incidentally, PennDOT is conducting a study evaluating double-stack freight rail clearance issues on the Keystone Corridor (i.e. ex-PRR Philadelphia-Harrisburg main line). Both Norfolk Southern and Amtrak are participating in the study. Based on some information I've seen, the Keystone Corridor could be critical for NS as freight rail traffic on their eastern mainline (Harrisburg Line) continues to grow. The growth is being largely driven by a high rate of growth in container/intermodal (rail/truck) shipments.