Trackage rights and haulage rights

[MP173]

Can anyone point me to the Trains article years ago that dealt with trackage rights and haulage rights?

Can anyone on this board discuss the costs involved with trackage/haulage rights?


In other words, how much does it cost to run a train? Any standard formulas?

ed

[MP173]

Mark:

Are these financial agreements filed? Or just the operating agreements?

We have an interesting operation here in NW Indiana west of Valparaiso to Hobart involving the NS, CSX, and Chicago Fort Wayne and Eastern.

For about 7 miles the NS and CFE lines parallel each other. These are the former Nickle Plate and Pennsylvania mains. About 10 years ago, NS purchased the line from Conrail as a second main from Ft. Wayne to Hobart and rehabbed it, including cross overs at Hobart and Spriggsboro.

During the Conrail split up the line went to CSX, who last year "leased" the line to CFE.

Today the NS dispatches the line for CFE, and has trackage rights on the Spriggsboro - Hobart segment and uses the line as a long siding or to park trains.

Now, following the money would be interesting. How much does CFE pay for dispatching service? How much does NS pay CFE for trackage rights? How much does CFE pay CSX to lease the line?

These are answers that I will probably NEVER find out, but still fascinating stuff when you determine a costing model.

Gabe, perhaps you should be a transportation lawyer. Then you could negotiate these things and be our resident expert....oops, confidentiality agreements would get in the way.

ed


ed

[Anonymous]

As a general rule Trackage Rights agreements must be filed with the STB. There are major and minor exceptions to this rule. First, trackage rights created by USRA, ICC or STB need not be filed by agreement they are created by agency decision and second, trackage rights for purposes of interchange need not be filed. Also, there are rules governing trackage rights governing terminals and reciprocal switching that I believe also don't need to be filed absent a dispute. There are other lesser exceptions as well.

Also, Trackage Rights without ability to service online customers are generally referred to as Overhead Trackage Rights.

LC