This website has been archived from TrainWeb.org/eastpenn to TrainWeb.US/eastpenn.

SD70MAC UPDATE

Four SD70MAC's are now on the road in regular service.  4130 and 4131 took ML403 west from Selkirk, NY while 4132 and 4133 are operating the same pattern as the 4130 and 4131 had after their release.  The 4132 and 4133 will likely break-in on INEL/ELIN.  4134 is scheduled to test between Cresson and Altoona this weekend.  The next pair should be out and on the road by late next week. -Kevin Burkholder, RailNuts

MORE RAIL FOR THE RIVER LINE

Last evening, Conrail symbol RAI-102 arrived Harrisburg from the CSX interchange at Lurgan, PA.  This is the second CSX rail train destined for the Conrail River Line double track / siding extension project.  Work has already begun on the River Line and should be completed this summer. -Kevin Burkholder

AND MORE RAIL

CP Rail also received their second rail train from the Nofolk Southern.  Yesterday morning a RAI-101 came north from Hagerstown, MD.  The train was interchanged from Conrail to CPR at Harrisburg.  This train is destined to the D&H Sunbury Line upgrade project.  SPL-101 departed from Harrisburg up the Buffalo Line to Sunbury. - Kevin Burkholder

MOTIVE POWER UPDATE

CN has taken lease of GCFX SD40-2's 6076 6078 as of march 27th and GCFX 6075 6077 6079 as of march 30th. CN M420W's 3505 & 3512 were retired on march 27th. - Roman Hawryluk

NEW PROCESS SPEEDS CUSTOMS

CN has introduced a new electronic process for customs clearance for customers who ship goods between Canada and the U.S. Clearing customs now takes minutes with new electronic customs clearance systems. Customers benefit from shorter transit times, improved customs reliability and reduced costs.

Rail shipments now cross the border in either direction without delay thanks to new electronic data interchange (EDI) processes designed to report and clear international traffic with U.S. Customs and Canada
Customs. Detailed information on a train's content is relayed electronically to customs before the train reaches the border and a release is issued within minutes.

CN worked with rail transportation associations, government departments and North American customs brokers and associations to develop the new electronic commerce systems.

Canada and the U.S. share the world's largest bilateral trade relationship, worth US$290 billion in 1996, and growing at the rate of US$27 billion every year. ``We're dedicated to helping our customers get their products to market,'' said Gerald Davies, CN's executive vice president of marketing. ``And these new processes enable us to keep our customers' shipments moving at the pace the competitive marketplace demands.''

CN is also working with major international ocean carriers calling at U.S. and Canadian ports to implement the new system. Customers using EDI can enjoy the benefits of door-to-door shipment a dvice and customs
control for all intermodal shipments.

Canada Customs uses a process called Accelerated Commercial Release Operations Support System (ACROSS) that is virtually identical to the U.S. Customs Automated Manifest System (AMS). Both systems use EDI transaction sets to process detailed information on the shipments before the train arrives at the border. Now Canada Customs and U.S. Customs as well as railways and brokers will use the same data sets.

``Rail AMS addresses the interests of U.S. Customs and serves the needs of Canadian shippers with faster release cycle times and full cargo status advice via electronic notifications, and both shippers and U.S.
Customs should thank Canadian National for being an exemplary corporate citizen,'' said Kim Santos, group leader, Information & Technology of the U.S. Customs Service.

``As leader of the Railway Association of Canada (RAC) Customs Committee, CN led the industry and Canada Customs to adopt processes similar to those used for shipments bound for the U.S.,'' said Bob Ballantyne,
president of the Railway Association of Canada.

CN's customs clearance team helps customers integrate the new software into their computer systems. The team ensures a seamless relationship between the customer, the broker and the concerned government agency.-Candian National

NORFOLK SOUTHERN IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE

Norfolk Southern and Guilford Rail System announce agreement on the creation of competitive new intermodal service for New England: Beginning in mid-summer, New England Thoroughbred Intermodal Service will link Guilford Rail's newly constructed terminals at Devens Commerce Center in Ayer, Mass., and at Waterville, Maine, with NS' network of 34 intermodal terminals.

The service will operate via the newly established interchange between NS and Guilford Rail at Mechanicville, N.Y., near Albany. NS reaches Mechanicville and the Albany area through a haulage agreement with Canadian Pacific Railway.  New England Thoroughbred Intermodal Service will be marketed as a single-line NS service to both Ayer and Waterville, offering customers "one-stop shopping" for their intermodal requirements to and from New England.

After completion of NS' joint transaction with CSX to operate Conrail routes and assets, the service will be expanded to include the new NS/Conrail network. "One of our key objectives in the Conrail transaction is to help bring competitive rail service to the Northeast," said David R. Goode, NS chairman, president and CEO. "The agreement will allow us to introduce Thoroughbred competition to intermodal customers throughout New England."

David A. Fink, chairman, president and CEO of Guilford Rail System, said, "Norfolk Southern brings to New England a long legacy of commitment to safety, quality service and competitive pricing. We share their goals to grow our business handling both domestic and international cargoes, and we look forward to a long and prosperous partnership."

Implementation Countdown...
* 76 days until STB hears oral arguments, June 4, 1998
* 80 days until STB votes on application, June 8, 1998
* 125 days until STB publishes its written decision, July 23, 1998
* 155 days until the effective date of the STB decision and the Control Date, Aug. 22, 1998
* 165 days until "Day 1," the hypothetical Closing Date for NS planning purposes, Sept. 1, 1998.

Quotable
"Norfolk Southern currently connects with 135 short lines, including regionals, switching roads, Class II and Class III railroads, which accounted for 691,000 carloads last year. I'm looking forward to growing our business with both our existing and new Conrail connections. We take pride in our relationship with our short line partners. We've spent a lot of time working with Conrail short lines that will connect with the new NS and have been able to reach accommodation with many of you... Assuming STB approval this summer, NS expects to connect with an additional 85 short lines in Conrail territory, bringing the total to 220 overall." - David R. Goode, Norfolk Southern chairman, president and CEO, at the 1998 Meeting with Class II and Class III Connections, Roanoke, March 30.

Conrail Heritage
The possibility of a rail line from Philadelphia to Norfolk shorter than any other route was visualized by the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, a Conrail predecessor line, in the late 1870s. The vision was realized in 1884 with completion of the New York, Philadelphia & Norfolk, a line running from the Maryland-Delaware state line to Cape Charles, Va. From this point, however, the Chesapeake Bay stood in the way of the rail line's final leg. To make the connection, the railroad operated a carfloat service, which was propelled by a
tugboat named the Norfolk. This carfloat service was the forerunner of a ferry that continues today, operated by the Eastern Shore Railroad which interchanges with Conrail. -Norfolk Southern

Please check this location daily, as new information will be posted, as it becomes available. If you have news to report or information regarding railroads in the Eastern United States, please send e-mail to Kevin Burkholder at KBurkholder@psghs.edu