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  • Just How Big of a Problem is Chicago for CP

  • Discussion relating to the past and present operations of CPR. Official web site can be found here: CPR.CA. Includes Kansas City Southern.
Discussion relating to the past and present operations of CPR. Official web site can be found here: CPR.CA. Includes Kansas City Southern.

Moderators: Komachi, Ken V

 #1357770  by CPF363
 
Just how big of a problem is Chicago for Canadian Pacific? Of all of the big railroads, CP seems to be the most affected by the Chicago problem. Can anyone describe where the problem points are and what could be done fix them? If it has been an ongoing problem, why didn't CP management take proactive steps to solving Chicago when they could have? It is not as if they are new to Chicago, they have either influenced or outright owned the Soo Line for decades and plenty of opportunities have been available to them. For example, they could have worked a deal with either the Penn Central, the Rock Island or both for some of their routes to get across town in the 1970s. How about during the Conrail split? How did rival Canadian National make it all work over the past 20 years? The CN turned Chicago from a single point line to a four-way junction point for their railroad, yet did CP ever try to make a run for even the EJ&E themselves, or even the Illinois Central, not to mention CN gaining control for CP's former Soo Line to Superior, Wisconsin? Should CP have held on to the Soo Line's route from Minneapolis to Sault Ste. Marie avoiding Chicago all together but not running north of Lake Superior? Has CP ever shown any interest in getting their own "Grand Trunk Western" to connect Chicago with Windsor, Ontario; even Amtrak ended up with part of the Kalamazoo line from Penn Central, could this line have been added to the Soo to to make the system connect to the east? What are the best steps to take now? Is merger with either NS or CSX the only way out now?
 #1358715  by mtuandrew
 
CP Rail owns 49% (a plurality share) of the Indiana Harbor Belt, which circles Chicago and interchanges freely with NS and CSX (who each own 25.5%.) In addition to Chicago, CP interchanges quite freely with NS and CSX at Detroit and Buffalo, as well as some at Montreal for CSX and some at Albany (or do they still run through to Binghamton?) for NS.

Then again, we've seen with the NS offer that CP management wants access to both New York Harbor and the Gulf, and only NS and CSX can provide that access in one fell swoop. NS fits CP's connections better as it stands now.