July.2020 Monthly Newsletter++ +yyyyyyyy++++04.August.2020
Covering northeast railroads and ports, and their related operational, technical, legal, and government environments.
©2020 Rails & Ports Media
Contents 04.August.2020
PAS: Definitive description of the property
PAS: NS in control of sale?
SNC: Train rescued from bankruptcy proceedings
SWITCHLIST: New feature keeping tabs on the many stories in our region
PAR: Not for sale (and what is)
PAR: VIP guests and BOD ride OCS to Mechanicville, then vanish
CSX/CN: Massena sale stuck in gear or running away?
VRS/NECR: Middlebury VT detour trains working well
MCR: Completes 286K system project
CMQ: Lac-Mégantic bypass plan finalized
PAS:
EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK
PAN AM SOUTHERN LLC RAILROAD IS THE JUICIEST AND MESSIEST PART OF THE PAN AM RAILWAYS SALE.

Its ~437 miles criss-cross New England. The heart of the PAS - the 156-mile Patriot Corridor east-west stretch between Ayer MA and Mechanicville NY - pits NS in direct competition with CSX for New England and Canadian container and automotive traffic. While the 'Keag (really, Bangor) - Ayer Freight Main may be the regional heart of the Pan Am network, the Patriot Corridor is the legs that carry its highest traffic volumes to the rest of the country.
Above: The entire PAS system comprises 436.7 track miles. Of the total, 238.3 miles are PAS-owned, and 198.4 are entitled by rights retained or granted. Main lines are:

West-East, comprising the NS Patriot Corridor (139.7 miles between Mechanicville NY and CPF 312 in Ayer MA), plus the 30.5-mile Rotterdam Branch extension between Mechanicville, splitting to Rotterdam Jct. and Mohawk Yard (See Rotterdam Cluster map, below). Four Ayer-area branches add 10.6 miles to the PAS network (See Ayer Cluster map, below). The Adams Industrial Branch adds 4.6 track miles. Yard facilities on the Patriot Corridor include Mechanicville, North Adams, East Deerfield, Gardner, and East Fitchburg (all in MA).

North-South, comprising 184.5 track miles between White River Jct. VT and New Haven CT, owned by three railroads. NECR owns 72.8 miles of the Conn River Line between WRJ and Northfield MA; PAS retains shared rights at all facilities. MBTA owns 49.7 miles of the Conn River Line between Northfield and Springfield MA; PAS retains exclusive freight rights. Amtrak owns the 62-mile Springfield Line between Springfield and New Haven CT; PAS retains overhead rights. The southern tip of the line is limited access to to Cedar Hill Yard via CSX, and the 42.9-mile Berlin-Waterbury-Derby Branch, and captive 4.5-mile Plainville-Southington Branch interchange at Berlin (See Connecticut Cluster map, below). Yards on the North-South line are East Deerfield, Springfield (CSX), Cedar Hill CT (CSX), and Plainfield CT.
Ayer Cluster

Ayer - Gardner MA (Ayer Cluster)
Above: The PAS eastern terminus is at CPF 312 on the Ayer - Littleton border. PAS Patriot Corridor Mainline is RED; PAS branch lines are GREEN; MBTA-owned lines are PURPLE. The line is double-track between CPF 312 and CPF 335 (Westminster). ROW ownership is divided between PAS and MBTA from Willows (BF 33.72/CPF 313.77) to Fitchburg (BF 49.12/CPF 329.12), along which MBTA owns Track 1 (north track), and PAS owns Track 2 (south track). Freight and passenger trains use both tracks as needed, and each serves facilities on both sides of the ROW. Track 1 is not cleared for double-stack/multilevel cars between CPF 335 and Fitchburg Station (BF 49.12/ CPF 329.12). PAS Branch lines are: #6. CPF WL - Ayer; #5. Groton Ind'l track; #4. Ayer - Harvard Stn.; #3. Heyward Industrial track.
Rotterdam Cluster

Mechanicville - Pattersonville NY
Connecticut Cluster

South Central Connecticut
Above: The PAS western terminus is Rotterdam Jct., in the hamlet of Pattersonville. PAS Mainline is RED; CP-owned (D&H) lines are GREEN. PAS Patriot Corridor terminates at CPF 468, and #1. Rotterdam branch continues on CP (rights retained from prior D&H ownership) track to CPF 477, where it splits: traffic south to Mohawk Yard (CP) interchanges traffic with NS Southern Tier line; traffic west on PAS to Rotterdam Jct., exchanging traffic with CSX.










Left: The PAS Connecticut cluster reaches CSX Cedar Hill Yard, and serves PAR customers between Berlin and Derby.
PAS Mainline is RED running over Amtrak Springfield Subdivision (BLUE).
Branches are GREEN:
#7. PAS Berlin - Derby (Waterbury - Derby running on CTDOT DARK GREEN)
#8 Plainville - Southington;
#9 North Haven - Cedar Hill yard (running over CSX YELLOW ).
PAS: KNOW WHEN TO HOLD 'EM, KNOW WHEN TO FOLD 'EM
AS HALF OF PAN AM SOUTHERN, AND THE ONLY HALF THAT CONSIDERS TRAFFIC VOLUME, TRACK CONDITION, AND RELIABLE RUNNING TO MATTER, NS IS THE ELEPHANT ON THE RAILS OF THE PAR SALE, AND A WORTHY COUNTERBALANCE TO WHATEVER WHIMSICAL STRAGETY THE OTHER HALF'S OWNERSHIP WAKES WITH ON A GIVEN MORNING.

It's a wonder if NS ever had wanted more than the Patriot Corridor, but PAR larded-up the deal with everything west of Ayer, including the 185-mile north-south White River Jct. VT - New Haven CT route made of thin string, and nine branch lines. In 2009, NS paid PAR $140 million for half of the new company, most of which was plowed into building new intermodal and automotive facilities at both ends of the Patriot Corridor, and upgrading the Corridor track to Class I standards: 40 mph speeds, 286K capacity, and Plate F clearance, with a stretch goal of double-stack clearance. It was a fretful deal, with the Hoosac Tunnel and Springfield Terminal's operating habits always looming like Jokers in the deck, but NS decided it was worth giving CSX a run for its money in the still - damnably - important New England market.

Dealer calls the game
Initially, observers considered NS to be the lead contender for the rest of PAR. Much of the Patriot Corridor's problems have stemmed from PAR's carefree operating and maintenance methods. If NS bought PAR, it could run the Patriot Corridor competitively, and control the line's eastern end. But it's clear from last week's 2Q20 earnings report that NS is probably not in the mood for a ~$750 million acquisition that will round out to a cool Billion once all the imperative track work is done - on top of the $200? million they've already ante'd. On the other hand, there's nothing to be gained by NS selling its share.

So, NS is going to have another PAS partner, and while any of the rumored potential bidders for the PAR system presumably would be easier to deal with than PAR itself, some of them, once inside the house, could try and have their way with NS.

The May.2008 agreement that created PAS, includes any number of twists and turns by which NS can kibosh or kindle a deal. Contrary to popular belief, the agreement grants no explicit Right of First Refusal to either party in the event the other acts to withdraw from the partnership, but there are several termination codicils, as well as benefits that accrue to one party in the event of the other's failure to perform its responsibilities as declared. During the Hoosac Tunnel collapse in February/March, it appeared that NS traffic was much more badly affected than PAR's, and also that NS put more shoulder into the repair. Even if PAR has lived up to the letter of the PAS agreement, the existence of 10 mph stretches on the main line says that they have not too emphatically honored the spirit.

When the OCS-14 arrived in Mechanicville on 14.July ,and David A. Fink debarked along with two high-level NS officers, the smiles were weary. Whether that reflected a long day of winding up a partnership, or finally agreeing to divorce terms is an open question.
SNC: FINAL(?) MOVEMENT RESCUES TWO GEMS
18. July, North Creek NY — SATURDAY NIGHT MISSION EXTRACTS TWO ROLLING STOCK CASUALTIES FROM SHUTTERED SNC PROPERTY. WAS THIS THE LAST TRAIN TO RUN THE NORTH CREEK - SARATOGA STRETCH?

SRTX #5019 Alco RS-36 (ex-D&H) and an SRTX private passenger car were quietly moved from the SNC to Saratoga Springs, and are expected to be moved again to an undisclosed location for repairs to return the units to service. The operation was conducted by Raven Rail LLC, the equipment owners, and a crew of volunteers.
Hadley NY
Just minutes before midnight, quite probably the last crossing of the Sanadaga River by a D&H locomotive (SRTX ex-D&H RS-36 #5019) is lit with generator-powered lighting. {KB}
Following an inspection of washout repairs along the 57-mile line between Saratoga Springs and North Creek, RPCX #5 Alco S-1 shop switcher, itself in line for a complete restoration, carried the rescue crew and mission-critical equipment to North Creek.

Once on the SNC property (with appropriate permissions), the crew executed field service to the SRTX units to ready the units for the southward shove. A generator was installed on the dead-in-tow #5019, to power lights and number boards per FRA requirements.
Thurman NY
RPCX Alco S-1 #5 prepares to swap ends on the special move to shove the equipment to Saratoga Springs. {KB}
Honoring the SNC
Inaugurated as the Adirondack Railway in 1871, the SNC will hopefully celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2021.

The D&H acquired the SNC in 1889, and held it until 1989, when the Tahawus mine closed. During World War II, the mine supplied magnetite, ilmenite, and titanium for vital wartime production. The D&H last operated Monday through Saturday scheduled passenger service in the 1950s, reduced to summer service by the mid-1950s, and ended entirely in 1957, with declining freight service enduring for another 32 years.

On 14.September.1901, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was in the North Creek Station when he received a telegram notice of President William McKinley’s death in Buffalo, eight days after being shot by an assassin. Roosevelt immediately left for Buffalo by train, arriving in a matter of hours, and was sworn in as President at 1500 hrs.

In 1998, the line was purchased by Warren County with plans to operate an excursion train to improve tourism and economic development in the area. In 1999, the Upper Hudson River Railroad began operating excursion trains south from North Creek to Riverside Station in Riparius. The UHRR lost their contract with Warren County on December 31, 2010.

In 2011 Iowa Pacific Holdings (IPH) took over operation of the route, naming the operation Saratoga & North Creek Railway. SNC was to operate at least 82 tourist-oriented passenger trains between Saratoga and North Creek. SNC also revived regularly scheduled freight service along that section, and stored freight cars, to the great horror of area NIMBYs. In 2013 SNC extended freight service on the derelict north end of the line as far as Newcomb.

Following an announcement that the railway would shut down the line due to financial losses, the final revenue train ran in May.2019. Following IPH’s 2019 descent into receivership, and several unqualified bids to purchase the railroad, SNC was forced by creditors into bankruptcy in March.2020.

The future of the SNC is uncertain. The municipalities that the line traverses disagree on objectives, while trail advocates are pushing for conversion into a rail trail. An auction by the bankruptcy trustee has been delayed by the Coronavirus pandemic.

There is a high probability that the 18.July move will mark the final rail departure from the historic North Creek Station.
SWITCHLIST: STORIES WE'RE FOLLOWING
THIS NEW FEATURE WILL TRACK RELEVANT STORIES THAT ARE ON R&P'S RADAR

CONNECTICUT
CSOR: Siding For New South Windsor Home Depot Distribution Center
A siding is being built outside the new Home Depot Distribution Center, under construction in South Windsor. {CSOR Facebook Group, July 21}

Shore Line East: Resumes Regular Commuter Train Schedule
Shore Line East service between Greenwich — New Haven — Old Saybrook — New London will resume 05.August, after suspension (and bus substitution) since 23.April. During the suspension, Amtrak did ballast undercutting of the trackbed {CT Examiner,31. July}

Metro-North:Featured on new version of Monopoly
Under license from Hasbro, a new version of monopoly has been created with street names, local charities and places from gilded Greenwich CT (12th wealthiest town in America) in place of Atlantic City. Metro-North has replaced B&O on the board. {WFSB, July 29}


MAINE
CP.Town buys Former Great Northern (East) Paper Complex
The 215-acre site of Great Northern paper (East Millinocket), closed since 2014, was purchased by the town of East Millinocket. A potential tenant could locate there in 2021. Though partially demolished, 222,000 square feet remain in 6 buildings. {Bangor Daily News, 22.July}

CP.Non-Profit Redevelops Great Northern Mill With Renewable Energy
Our Katahdin, non-profit owner of the 1,400 acre Great Northern paper (Millinocket proper) site, closed since 2008 but once the largest paper mill in the world and twin of the mill in East Millinocket (see item, above), announced $8 million of site rail and utility improvements. Power will be 100% on-site generated hydroelectric. The strategy is to attract forest products businesses as well as aquaculture, food production and data centers. {MaineBiz, 06.July}

PAR.Demolished Bucksport Mill To Become Salmon Fish Farm
Once the largest shipper on Pan-Am, but closed since 2014, the 123-acre former International Paper mill has now been mostly demolished (with contaminated debris shipped out by rail) and is set to become a fish farm for salmon, employing 75-150. {The Free Press, 14.July}

PAR.Orrington State Rep Proposes Expanding & Developing Garbage Recycling
In an op-ed, state Rep. Dick Campbell proposes using the PERC waste-to-energy facility in Orrington (on Pan-Am’s Bucksport branch) as a focus for recycling oriented economic development. Since the facility is now at 50% capacity he proposes importing garbage by rail.

PAR.Jay Paper Mill Returns To Production After Explosion
Following the mid- April explosion of one of its two digester units, the mill located on Pan-Am’s Rumford branch has now brought back most of its staff and expanded production with new specialty paper for the insulation industry. Other products made at the mill include an oil & grease wrap for food products and a wrap for famine products. {Bangor Daily News June 3}
However the company laid off 60 workers since it no longer makes pulp. It will be at least until October before the company makes decisions about future wood-buying plans. {Maine Public Radio, 09.July}

PAR.SAPPI Shuts One Paper Making Machine
SAPPI will permanently close Paper Machine #9 due to high costs, and move production of base paper to mills in Cloquet, Minnesota and Skowhegan, Maine by the end of 2020. Parts of the site’s energy complex will also be idled. The millâ’s Casting and Release Paper business will continue to operate and produce a variety of release papers and films. {SAPPI Press Release, 09.July}


MASSACHUSETTS

PAR.Additional Track Installed in Haverhill For Broco Oil
An additional side track was installed on June 4th at Broco Oil’s facility in Haverhill which receives biodiesel. {Hayden Logan, Pan-Am Railfans Group}


NEW HAMPSHIRE
Conway Scenic Railroad Opens But Adjusts for CoVid
The railroad delayed its opening, trimmed its schedule and built a special compartment car allowing guests to travel in private rooms.


NEW YORK
Metro-North: Offers PPE vending machines
KN95 masks, bottled hand sanitizer and gloves are sold from kiosks. Free masks and hand sanitizer are still being distributed at stations and on trains. Metro-North disinfects and cleans trains cars at least once a day and stations at least twice daily. Since March, stations have been cleaned more than 30,500 times and trains cars more than 50,600 times. {Metro-North, 11.July}


VERMONT
PAR.Bellows Falls service cuts
Following the May acquisition of Plains Gas (Claremont NH) by Crestwood Equity Partners, the new ownership terminated the site’s PAR rail service contract, and enlisted NECR, per CEP’s corporate relationship with G&W, PAR has abolished BF-1 (Bellows Falls switcher) and reduced EDBF/BFED train days of operation. The switch also shifts seasonal LPG storage loads from PAR East Deerfield MA yard to NECR St. Albans {ANRP Exclusive source}.

CP.Reroutes Ex-CMQ Traffic From Newport To Whitehall GMRC
Lumber and paper traffic which had once moved up the WACR from White River Junction to connect with CMQ at Newport VT is rerouting via D&H to Whitehall NY and through Rutland, over the Green Mountain Railroad to Bellows Falls. The new route is rated for 286K while the WACR is limited to 263K. CP has haulage rights over the entire route over Vermont Rail System and onward via NECR-P&W as well. {ANRP Exclusive Source}

VRS.Middlebury Detours sticks to original tactics
The Vermont Rail System detour trains launched on 14.July, with a crew and train making a round trip departure from Burlington in the early morning hours Monday - Saturday. The BDRD (Burlington Detour to Rutland Detour) then traverses the NECR Burlington, Roxbury and Palmer Subdivisions to reach Bellows Falls mid-day. The detour crew backs the train onto the VRS property (off NECR), and then swaps with the GMRC 263 at the Bellows Falls Patch Track. After a new crew and power picks up the northbound train, it is backed onto the NECR and heads back north. Contrary to several mistaken reports, there is no separate SB and NB meeting.

VRS.Passenger
VRS Suspends 2020 GMRC Passenger Operation Schedule
Vermont Rail System has internally announced suspension of 2020 Green Mountain Railroad passenger operations through the end of the year, due to expense and impracticality of meeting Vermont State COVID-19 sanitary guidelines.
PAR: NOT FOR SALE
INDIVIDUAL RAIL OPERATING UNITS BOSTON & MAINE (B&M), SPRINGFIELD TERMINAL, (ST), MAINE CENTRAL (MEC), PORTLAND TERMINAL (PTM), AND HALF OF PAN AM SOUTHERN (PAS) ARE WHAT’S FOR SALE; THE “PAN AM” NAME AND BRANDED ENTITIES ARE NOT.
Pan Am Systems, evoking the once-glamorous international air carrier, replaced the Guilford Transportation Industries’ moniker in 2006. GTI acquired the Pan Am name out of bankruptcy in 1998, with the rest of the airline’s remaining, meagre assets. Headquartered in Portsmouth NH, PAST controls Pan Am Railways, (ex-Guilford Rail Systems), the railroad crosstie businesses, and other assets {Wikipedia}.

In his 2015 autobiography, panam.captain, Timothy Mellon describes the Pan Am acquisition, and the subsequent efforts to revive the airline, which ultimately failed when the FAA rejected PAS’s effort to bust the aircrew unions. Mellon’s fondness for the Pan Am legacy is made clear, and despite being painted on PAR’s locomotives, the brand is not is not tied to the railroad operations. Mellon does not have to give up his iconic possession to jettison his railroads. That's just as well, because while bidders may be eager to pull in Pan Am's cash flow, they will be content to leave its reputation on the table.
Liftoff
When GTI began acquiring failing New England railroads in the early 1980s, they wisely retained the legacy entities, rather than amalgamating them. The multiple-operating-entity structure of PAR has, since the Guilford Rail Systems (GRS) origins, been skillfully managed by Guilford Transportation Industries (GTI)/Pan Am Systems (PAST). In the 1980s, the tiny ST’s (originally a B&M subsidiary) weak Ayer auto yard UTU contract was cleverly exploited, along with aggressive abandonments, to undercut the more traditional union agreements throughout the Guilford system.

Today, ST crews operate all PAR trains (including PAS). B&M, MEC, and PTM employees - their terms having been rolled back - operate the fixed assets. In the meantime, the cross-connected corporate structure has been helpful in railroading customers, courts, agencies, and tenants, while innovating the modern minimums for track standards.
Planning it all along?
Every sound business plan includes an exit strategy. PAR's “modular” structure may play a role in PAST’s announced sale of Pan Am Railways, by presenting an a la carte menu of different options to suit various discrete buyer interests. PAS owns most of the B&M trackage, from Rotterdam Jct. NY to Ayer MA, plus several branch segments. B&M retains sole control between Ayer and Portland ME. MEC controls all track north of Portland. NS’s presumed RFR on PAS doesn’t need to hinder a second party’s interest in the MEC; or a third’s plans for the Boston - Portsmouth - Portland “seaboard cluster.”
Up, up, and Away
PAR President David A. Fink disembarks OCS-14 with some glory-days luggage. Is he headed for a long-awaited vacation?
PAR: DEAL ROLLS ALONG IN OFFICE CAR SPECIAL
This report is based on live sightings by R&P staff, and reports from R&P exclusive sources.

PAR SALE TAKES SHAPE ON "WHERE'S WALDO?" OCS RUN. BOD AND CHANGING CAST OF RIVAL RAIL EXECS PULL OUT OF XO; EMPTY TRAIN PULLS INTO ED.
14.July, Ayer MA - The Pan Am Office Car Special (OCS-14) departed Ayer at 0930 hrs headed west. Consist was MEC 1 (a/k/a "PAR 1"), MEC 2 ("PAR 2"), ST 103 ("Syd Culliford"), ST 102 ("Bluebird"), ST 101, ST 102.

Aboard were the Pan Am Systems Board of Directors (reportedly boarded 12/13.July), and Norfolk Southern personnel (landed Hanscom Field 13.July).

The train arrived Mechanicville NY (XO) at 1545 hrs. Six passengers debarked at XO, including PAR President David A. Fink, NS EVP/CFO Mark George, and NS VP Strategic Planning Mike McClellan. Others reportedly remained on board for the night.
Schagticoke NY
PAR OCS-14 crosses the Hoosic River approaching the end of its run from Ayer MA, with PAST Board of Directors and NS executives aboard. {Steel Wheels Photography}
CSX/CN: MASSENA SALE LINGERS IN LIMBO
15.July, Washington DC — NO RESPONSE YET FROM STB ON CSX AND CN PETITIONS TO RECONSIDER PRO-COMPETITION DECISION #4.

The STB remains inscrutable regarding the principals’ 05.June Petitions seeking that the Board back down from its 04.April Decision #4 conditional approval. That Decision approves the sale IF the Class Is rewrite Sec. 5.14(b) of the PSA to maintain the prospect of future competition at the Syracuse area interchange. On 06.May CSX and CN filed reporting their failure to meet the condition.

A 13.July letter of support from the Mayor of Oswego NY is the eleventh plea for the Board to annul Decision #4, and allow the sale to proceed as originally devised. Samuel J. Nasca, SMART/Transportation Division,  filed an additional opinion against the sale, citing lack of shipper input and inadequate employee consideration.

Fait accompli?
The Board’s forthcoming decision may be moot, as unconfirmed reports are circulating that a regional union Chairman had been notified that the deal is dead, following CN's withdrawal (No official statement has been received verifying that report - Ed.).
VRS/NECR: MIDDLEBURY TUNNEL DETOUR LAUNCHED
With the Middlebury tunnel installation in full swing, and the VRS Northern Subdivision is severed, detoured Burlington - Bellows Falls traffic commenced Tuesday, 14.July on the NECR Roxbury and Palmer Subdivisions. The detours are running with eight state-leased GMTX GP38-2 locomotives, running in two sets of four, making a morning departure from Burlington, arriving in Bellows Falls shortly after noon, then departing northbound around an hour later, arriving Burlington in the evening. ABOVE, The 16.July detour ("VTR Detour") crosses the White River at West Hartford, VT with empty Omya slurry tanks filling out the head end of the train {KB}. BELOW, the detour plan in detail {VHB}.
MCR: SYSTEM-WIDE 286K CAPACITY DECLARED
03.July, Carver MA - MCR DECLARES 286K CAPABILITY THROUGHOUT ENTIRE SYSTEM. CAPACITY INTEGRATION WITH NATIONAL RAIL NETWORK MAY BRING TRAFFIC BOOST

The Mass Coastal Railroad issued a System-Wide declaration that the lines support 286,000 Lb Gross Weight (286K) on rail. The final piece of the puzzle was the verification and official declaration of the North East Corridor between Mansfield and Attleboro MA. This project has been over 5 years in the making and Mass Coastal has worked with its partners MASSDOT-Rail, MBTA, and CSXT.

The 263K limits on MCR's lines had been track & bridge restrictions between Framingham MA and Mansfield MA, and timetable restrictions over MBTA-owned and Amtrak controlled properties. These restrictions and limitations have been overcome.

Must meet the national standard
In the United States, the ability for Class I freight railroads to carry is the industry standard. In order for Mass Coastal to maintain an efficient, economical service on the South Coast rail lines the infrastructure must be consistent with the nation-wide 286,000 Lb gross weight (286K) track capacity standard.

In the past 12 years, all new rail cars have been constructed to 286K capacity (cars meeting the more recent 315K capacity standard are also in production - Ed.). An unfortunate by-product of the newer standard is that there remains substantial track mileage that only meets the past 263K standard, or even less. That means that any car traveling over any length of substandard track anywhere along its route must be “light-loaded,” wasting valuable potential shipping capacity. In most cases, the transportation costs to move the light loaded cars are not discounted to compensate for the decreased carried weight.

More rail capacity = more competitive customers
Many MCR customers have expressed the need to ship and receive full-weight cars. The bulk of the rail industry has upgraded to the higher track standard, and is carrying the larger rail cars. Unfortunately many New England lines are on the “periphery” of the national rail system, and struggle to find the resources to upgrade, even though universal 286K track and greater payload is a key element of mutual success for other railroads and shippers.

MC customers have communicated the need for 286K capacity to handle to following commodities;
  • Frozen Seafood
  • Flour
  • Feed Ingredients (corn, canola, soybeans)
  • Scrap Metal
  • Chemicals
  • Lubricating Oil
  • New Bedford Harbor-PCB Project

An important customer
The United States Government has reaffirmed that the Otis Air Base/MMR remains part of the Strategic Rail Access Network (2018). This designation imposes several capacity and clearance requirments, including 286K track.

Economic Benefits of 286K
  • Shipper cost savings which result from shifts from high tons-per-mile modes (e.g. truck) to rail's lower TPM, and/or improved service on existing routes.
  • Congestion relief for trucking as hfreight traffic is diverted from highways.
  • Logistics efficiency resulting from better travel time and supply chain reliability.
  • Reduced public costs for highway maintenance.
{MCR}
CP/CMQ: LAC-MEGANTIC BYPASS TO BE COMPLETED IN 2022
05 July, Montreal QC - GOVERNMENTS OF CANADA AND QUEBEC ANNOUNCE CONSTRUCTION DATES FOR MAINLINE NORTHERN BYPASS, NEW CONNECTION TO INDUSTRIAL PARK.

Construction on the 12.8-km railway bypass around the town of Lac-Mégantic QC will begin in 2021, and should be completed by the fall of 2022. Project cost is estimated at CDN$133 million. The Government of Canada will fund 60% of the construction costs, and the Government of Quebec will fund the other 40%.
Lac-Mégantic QC
Several years of study and public input has resulted in the selected new route for the CP/CMQ main line north of the City of Lac-Mégantic, and connecting with additional access to the Parc Industriel de Lac-Mégantic (inset).
The Government of Canada announced the schedule on the eve of the seventh anniversary of the Lac-Mégantic derailment and explosion, which occurred at 0114 hours on 06.July.2013, and claimed 47 lives.

Schedule
  • 2018-2019: Geotechnical Work
  • Summer 2019: Public hearings
  • 2019-2020: Property acquisition process
  • Spring 2020: Final preliminary draft
  • 2020: Plans and specifications
  • 2021-2022: Construction
  • 2023: Commissioning of the bypass route
  • 2023: Decommissioning of the existing track

In 2019, the federal and provincial governments announced that railway operations in the Eastern Townships municipalities of Nantes and Frontenac would be moved to the industrial park in Lac-Mégantic.
Atlantic Northeast Rails & Ports
Corresponding on rail and port traffic throughout New England, the Hudson, Lehigh, and Delaware Valleys, the Canadian Maritimes, and eastern Quebec. 
Common abbreviations:
BCLR - Bay Colony RR,
BLE – Bessemer & Lake Erie (CN).
BM – Boston & Maine Corp.
CPA – Connecticut Port Auth'ty
CBNS - Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Ry, (GWI)
CCCR - Cape Cod Central RR, 
CLP - Clarendon & Pittsford RR (VRS)
CMAQ - congestion-mitigation or air quality (money from the US federal government for these purposes),
CMQ – Central Maine & Quebec Ry,
CN - Canadian National Ry,
CNZR - Central New England RR,
ConnDOT - Connecticut Department of Transportation,
CP - Canadian Pacific Ry,
CSO - Connecticut South’n RR, (GWI)
CSRX - Conway Scenic RR, 
CSX - CSX Transportation,
EMRY - see NBSR, 
FHWA - Federal Highway Admin.,
FRA - Federal Rail Admin.,
FGLK – Finger Lakes Ry. Co., 
FRTC - Fore River Transp’on Co., 
FTA - Federal Transit Admin,
GJRT – Grand Jct. Running Track
GLX - MBTA Green Line Extension project
GMR – Green Mountain RR (VRS)
GU - Grafton & Upton RR,
GWI - Genesee & Wyoming Inc,
HRRC - Housatonic RR,
IPH – Iowa Pacific Holdings
ITHR – Ithaca Central Railroad
JOC – Journal of Commerce
JRAR – Jones Runaround Ry
MassDOT - Massachusetts Department of Transportation,
MBRX - Milford-Bennington RR, 
MBTA - Mass. Bay Transportation Authority,
MC - Massachusetts Coastal RR,
MCER - Mass. Central RR, 
MEC – Maine Central RR (PAR),
MEDOT - Maine Department of Transportation,
MMA - Montréal, Maine & Atlantic Ry,
MNRY - see NB&M,
MPO - Metropolitan Planning Organization, 
MTQ - Québec Ministry of Transport,
NAUG - Naugatuck RR,
NBDOT - New Brunswick Department of Transportation,
NB&M – New Brunswick & Maine Railways, system of NBSR - New Brunswick Southern Ry; MNRC - Maine Northern Ry; and EMRY - Eastern Maine Ry,
NECR* - New England Central RR
NEGS - New England Southern RR, 
NET – New England Transload
NHCR - New Hampshire Central RR,
NHDOT - NH Dept of Trans,
NHN - NH Northcoast RR,
NNEPRA - Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority,
NS - Norfolk Southern Ry, 
NSDOT - Nova Scotia Department of Transportation,
NYA - New York & Atlantic Ry,
NYNJ - New York New Jersey Railroad (PANYNJ subsidiary, formerly Cross-Harbor),
NYSDOT – NY State Dept. of Transportation
Pan Am – refers to operator of PAS and PAR,
PAR - Pan Am Railways - parent of MEC, PTM, BM, ST
PANYNJ - Port Authority of New York and New Jersey,
PAS - Pan Am Southern Railway,
PTM – Portlsnd Terminal RR
PVRR - Pioneer Valley RR,
PW* - Providence & Worcester RR, (GWI)
QCR - Quebec Central Ry,
RIDOT - Rhode Island Dept. of Transportation,
RJC – RJ Corman
Seaview - Seaview Transport’n Co.,
SLQ* - St. Lawrence & Atlantic Ry (Québec), (GWI)
SLR* - St. Lawrence & Atlantic RR, (GWI)
SNC – Saratoga & North Creek Ry,
ST - Springfield Terminal Ry, see PAR,
TIRR - Turner’s Island LLC,
TEU - twenty-foot equivalent unit (measure of container traffic, equal to a 20x8x8 foot box), 
UR – United Rail, Inc.
USWX – Waste Management, Inc.
VAOT- Vermont Agency of Transportation,
VRS-Vermont Rail System (Green Mt. RR Company, comprised of GMR, VTR, CLP, WAC
VTR - Vermont Ry (VRS)
WACR - Washington County RR (VRS)
WHRC - Windsor and Hantsport Ry.
* These railroads are part of the GWI short-line holding company.
Atlantic Northeast Rails & Ports
Holden, MA 01520
(617) 877-5741
Joshua Davidson, publisher and editor
editor@railsandports.com   www.railsandports.com

Coverage
The newsletter covers the operating freight railroads and ports in New England, the Maritimes, and eastern Québec, as well as the government environment they function within. Coverage includes passenger rail and ships when relevant to freight operations.

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All contents Copyright 2020 Joshua Davidson (and) Rails & Ports Media. All rights reserved.
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