K. P. Harrier I personally know very little about that BNSF trackage right matter on UP from the Bay Area to Denver, but I know the most significant, that BNSF trackage rights trains are run by UP crews! So, in other words, it is just a token operation to satisfy the Surface Transportation Board’s mandate.
I personally know very little about that BNSF trackage right matter on UP from the Bay Area to Denver, but I know the most significant, that BNSF trackage rights trains are run by UP crews! So, in other words, it is just a token operation to satisfy the Surface Transportation Board’s mandate.
K.P.
I would not conclude that JUST because UP crews man the BNSF trackage rights trains, the operation is just to satisfy the STB mandate. If that were true why would BNSF bother? I do concur that it is not very significant to the BNSF, nor hurtful to the UP in terms of revenue and net income.
It is much more likely that it was more convenient for both parties to have UP crew the trains for several good reasons, particularly cost to BNSF and better crew availability to BNSF drawing from a larger pool of UP crews. It also minimized disruption to UP crews on the line who would otherwise be bumped off the line either to furlough or have to move elsewere.
Mac McCulloch
Hi, eshortess!
Two posts in five years. Wow! You must have been composing your question here for a long time! (I’m just having fun …)
Interestingly, it is understood that at the time of the pre-SP-UP merger, UP was talking to BOTH BNSF and Kansas City Southern (KCS) simultaneously about a trackage rights deal. BNSF agreed first, and KCS was furious.
Competitive-wise, KCS would have been a better deal for America. BNSF has no real interest in that Bay Area to Denver route, because they have the Transcon, and make spectacular time thereon Bay Area to Chicago.
Best,
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- K.P.’s absolute “theorem” from early, early childhood that he has seen over and over and over again: Those that CAUSE a problem in the first place will act the most violently if questioned or exposed.
I know BNSF Railway runs trackage rights trains over UP's lines in the Central Mountain West as a condition of the UP-SP merger. However, I'm pretty unfamiliar with what is behind these operations. I know there is a Denver-Provo/Provo-Denver manifest that runs over UP's Moffat Tunnel, Glenwood Springs, Green River, and Provo Subdivisions.
However, I know there are also BNSF trains on UP's Shafter, Elko, and Nevada Subdivisions in Utah and Nevada. Are these trains run by UP crews? How often do these trains run? Where do the trains that travel through Nevada originate/depart from? Do the BNSF trains make up a significant portion of traffic on the former DRGW line now that coal has declined?
Any info is appreciated!
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.