mtuandrew wrote:I'd be interested to see if Fortress attempts to purchase some or all of the NBSR, Maine Northern, and EMRY. Seems like it would make sense to keep the rate division to a minimum, eliminate competition, force PAR to interchange with them, and tap into whatever business is keeping the Irving Lines afloat in Maine and New Brunswick.
I HIGHLY doubt Fortress makes a bid, and doubt even more a successful bid for any Irving property.
The business that is making MNR tick is fiber, lumber and ag business, in that order I believe. The fiber is key, with plans to run 400+ cars a week of round wood or chips (fiber) off the MNR. The destination for said fiber? Its solit, equally, between Woodland Pulp llc (an EMRY served mill) and Irving Pulp in Saint John. The source? Irving Woodlands. MNR/EMRY/NBSR is a major piece of Irvings production line. I doubt that anyone else can offer the service levels they want, simply because the railroad is making money selling service to other Irving properties. Its the type of internalized "lets do everything because we can do it better and cheaper" mentality that is rarely seen in todays "what can we contract out" world, but Irving's railroads are a'boomin...
If anything it willbe Irving that bids on the "Wherever & Whatever" railroad when Fortress fails, decides the money isnt good enogh, or Irving decides the Moosehead is no longer a political nightmare and has value as a pipeline again.
As for railroad name, I liked the "Canadian Atlantic" or CDAC, but realized after that CP holds the rights to that name...