CSX Acquisition of Pan Am Railways

Lots of shipper support... NS support... only opposition so far been political and Amtrak.... oh and NNEPRA support which makes the Amtrak opposition look foolish now.... pretty sure this one is a done deal.

Because the Commonwealth and CSX find themselves at the crossroads of each's important strategic initiatives, complete with the long-standing knowledge of the situation and some of the same players still involved from past deals, as well as a bigger "war" vs. this particular "battle" in play, given the high stakes and despite the not-unexpected posturing for advantage, I think the sausage is probably being made with a deal likely. I think it's too early to write the possibility off, point the finger at one side or the other, or declare victory one way or the other. The stakes in the Commonwealth are the highest and the issues the most complicated amongst the New England states, so, as I see it, not to be unexpected.

Neal is 1 of 3 committee chairs from New England of the 4 most powerful Congressional committees within the Democratically-controlled Congress with Leahy in VT probably yet remaining a wild card with VRS opposing the purchase and all within a party and with an administration pro-passenger rail and closing in on a big infrastructure deal; raising issues with railroad regulation; and legislation to raise taxes on corporations all in play. Additionally, there was plenty of public political posturing in the last deal that lead to the sale of the B&A CP-22 to CP-45, closing of Beacon Park yard, full overhead B&A clearance, and new terminals in Worcester and Westborough. I can't imagine either party went into this with eyes closed.

If the current labor shortages continue at CSX, could that effect New England freight operations if this deal is completed?

Labor shortages ebb and flow... just a few years ago CSX was laying off folks with PSR fever. Same with all the other Class Is.

VRS at this stage is a lame duck. Remember, you must demonstrate with specific examples the competitive harm... that is how the STB has always worked. Admittedly I haven't paid much attention to this portion of the latest app, VRS gets trackage or haulage rights somewhere yeah? If they maintain the CP and NS gateways, and gain a CSX gateway via B&E, it's actually a competitive enhancement.

Cynically, when I search to get a listing of the Top 100 sources of donations to Richard Neal's PAC/campaign (which raised almost $5M 2019-2020), I see that CSX has given $0 to Neal. But the American Trucking Association gave the Neal PAC/campaign $15,000 last year and SMART (Sheet Metal, Air, Rail & Transportation Union) donated $16,000.
https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of- ... 100&type=C

When I search to see to which politicos' PACs/campaigns CSX has given money, the RR has donated thousands of $ to many political campaigns (including a few thousand $ to campaigns in Alaska and Arizona, a bit outside its domain).
https://disclosurespreview.house.gov/lc ... 980111.xml

Maybe CSX needs to address this situation...

johnpbarlow wrote: ↑Sat Aug 07, 2021 4:52 am ...assisting NNEPRA with Portland station relocation to between the Fore River Bridge and Congress Street (is that where Union Station used to be?)...

The area mentioned includes the former Union Station site, yes, ( which was alongside Congress), plus some distance to the south.

johnpbarlow wrote: ↑Sun Aug 08, 2021 1:08 pm Cynically, when I search to get a listing of the Top 100 sources of donations to Richard Neal's PAC/campaign (which raised almost $5M 2019-2020), I see that CSX has given $0 to Neal. But the American Trucking Association gave the Neal PAC/campaign $15,000 last year and SMART (Sheet Metal, Air, Rail & Transportation Union) donated $16,000.
https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of- ... 100&type=C

When I search to see to which politicos' PACs/campaigns CSX has given money, the RR has donated thousands of $ to many political campaigns (including a few thousand $ to campaigns in Alaska and Arizona, a bit outside its domain).
https://disclosurespreview.house.gov/lc ... 980111.xml

Maybe CSX needs to address this situation...

Maybe corporations shouldn't be allowed to donate to any politician. In this case wouldn't this be extortion?

bostontrainguy wrote:Maybe corporations shouldn't be allowed to donate to any politician. In this case wouldn't this be extortion?

The Supreme Court ruled that "corporations are people" and that "money is speech," therefore corporate contributions to politicians are considered a legitimate exercise of the constitutional right to free speech.

NRGeep wrote: ↑Sun Aug 08, 2021 8:47 am If the current labor shortages continue at CSX, could that effect New England freight operations if this deal is completed?

They have stated they are retaining all ST employees, and they likely will do some consolidation of jobs, so likely not (especially with B&E not requiring all of its PAS ST employees, so some will move over likely).

The Supreme Court ruled that "corporations are people" and that "money is speech," therefore corporate contributions to politicians are considered a legitimate exercise of the constitutional right to free speech.

Sad but true, and we've been reaping the consequences ever since... there has always been corruption and money has always talked, for certain....but now it is institutionalized as the rule of law that the government is simply for sale to the highest bidders.

Seeing who got how much of a donation and when is very, very interesting. But reading the names of the various PACs is pretty funny. Most are "Friends of X" or "X for Congress." But #34 on the list (Ted Cruz) has named his in ALL CAPS. Susan Collins (#40) came up with something classy, and should this sale go through, she'll probably get more $$$, too. Both Senators from WVa (#42 and #54) have appropriately named PACs, as does a guy from NOLA (#94). Then there are the one-worders: #74 and #56.

The Director of the Altamont Library, which is housed in the D&H depot built in 1897, sent a letter to the STB: reject the NS IM train trackage rights proposal!

Altamont Free Library has long partnered with SMS Rail Lines on projects and events, and we wish nothing but the best for whatever company controls the rail line adjacent to our property. However, the disruptions and safety concerns attendant with the proposed plan will negatively far too many Altamont and Knox residents, who will derive only highly diffuse benefits from it. I strongly urge you reject the proposal for the reasons stated above.

I'm a bit surprised that the library director's spelling is deficient:

I am concerned that the additional rumbling and shaking caused by a daily 9,000-foot double-decker train passing twenty feet from our building could cause damage to our slate roof, brick chimney, and other parts of the building which place an additional bourdon [sic] on the library for expensive repairs. The station simply wasn’t built with that kind of shaking and jostling in mind.

Oxford Libraries defines "bourdon" as "a low-pitched stop in an organ or harmonium, typically a sixteen-foot stopped diapason." And re: how well the building was originally constructed, didn't muscular 2-8-0s (and perhaps even Challengers) pound past the depot back in the day?

Here's a link to a photo of the Altamont Library in its D&H days: https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3078/246 ... e1d5c8.jpg

Here's the link to the letter filed with the STB:
https://dcms-external.s3.amazonaws.com/ ... 302890.pdf

What a giant waste of everyone's time.

I don't doubt that Director Burke has genuine fears about the proposal's impact on the library; however, he is not an engineer and he did not present any evidence or qualified testimony to support his claims.

His comments regarding traffic and public safety on nearby roads also express a seemingly genuine fear, but without a proper traffic study conducted by a qualified engineering firm, fears alone can't stop this train. The municipalities impacted by the proposal could certainly hire a firm to conduct such studies, and perhaps they will. They need to do that if they want to get the STB's attention. They can't just say, "we're worried something bad will happen," with no facts or evidence to back it up, and expect the STB to take that into account.

But in the end, they can make any argument they want (backed up with any data), it is irrelevant to the proposed transaction. The STB's sole job here is to evaluate whether the transaction will retain competition in the region and benefit (or not benefit) rail shippers. As an abutter, the library will need to take up discussions with Norfolk Southern, not the STB.