On Hunter Harrison thread members were talking about other mergers (e.g. CP and KCS) which would not work. So I was thinking how about a merger of NS and KCS. KCS gets direct access to the northeast and southeast and NS gets access to the midwest , suthwest and Mexico. Very little if any duplicte track and would make a good contiguous rairaod. What are your thoughs on this merger?
gsrrman On Hunter Harrison thread members were talking about other mergers (e.g. CP and KCS) which would not work. So I was thinking how about a merger of NS and KCS. KCS gets direct access to the northeast and southeast and NS gets access to the midwest , suthwest and Mexico. Very little if any duplicte track and would make a good contiguous rairaod. What are your thoughs on this merger?
It makes sense for the reasons you list, the only overlap would be St. Louis-Kansas City. My guess is that KCS managers, those who would stay on the merged company, won't want it though because of what I might delicately term "differences in management philosophy". NS has a reputation for being hard to work for, but not BNSF.
If you can survive in the circus called KCS, you can certainly survive NS.
Yes I know. I have a friend who is a roadmaster of engiens at the Enola, Pennsylvania yard and he tells me about NS.
mudchicken If you can survive in the circus called KCS, you can certainly survive NS.
I don't know, I have never heard of KCS doing anything like making their engine crews use a plastic bag as their bathroom, and sign for plastic bags (with serial numbers) prior to a trip then SHOW the plastic bags (used or unused) to a manager at the end.
Can we get back to the subject of this post, your thoughts on a possbile NS/KCS merger.
Interesting concept. I wonder just how much traffic goes those ways now.
Dan
At least NS wouldn't have to worry about painting a KCS Belle heritage unit since KCS already has a fleet of recent SD70ACes and the ES44ACs in that paint scheme.
DwightBranch mudchicken: If you can survive in the circus called KCS, you can certainly survive NS. I don't know, I have never heard of KCS doing anything like making their engine crews use a plastic bag as their bathroom, and sign for plastic bags (with serial numbers) prior to a trip then SHOW the plastic bags (used or unused) to a manager at the end.
mudchicken: If you can survive in the circus called KCS, you can certainly survive NS.
A practice that was discontinued many years ago now but still surfaces here from time to time to show how rotten NS is perceived to be. They are trying to change, so I hear.
I would imagine quite a bit since a lot of products are made in Mexico. The connecting points would be Chicago, Springfield and St Louis. I forgot to mention from the west access to New Orleans, Gulfport Mississippi and Mobile. NS already access New Orleans and Mobile from the north, so the western access would strenghten their access to these two important ports With current widening of the Panama Canal the gulf ports will become even more important rail hubs.
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NS already has trackage rights to Dallas (not sure how or when they were acquired/ created, nor which is the 'host' railroad, though), as well as its own tracks to Memphis, St. Louis, and Kansas City - see this system map: http://www.nscorp.com/nscportal/nscorp/map.html
I believe there are at least a couple trains a day each way to/ from Dallas, plus "Triple Crown Services" RoadRailer service to Kansas City and St. Louis: http://www.triplecrownsvc.com/ServiceArea.html
This route also includes the NS-KCS 320-mile long "Meridian Speedway" joint venture/ operation from Meridian, Mississippi to Shreveport, Louisiana- see: http://www.nscorp.com/nscportal/nscorp/Media/News%20Releases/2006/ns_kcs.html
- Paul North.
A NS/KCS merger would be a big benefit to CSX.
"We have met the enemy and he is us." Pogo Possum "We have met the anemone... and he is Russ." Bucky Katt "Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future." Niels Bohr, Nobel laureate in physics
jeaton A NS/KCS merger would be a big benefit to CSX.
How do you mean, that it wouldn't work?
How would CPRS + KCS NOT work? The only way to even make a combination with NS worthwhile would be to have CPRS PLUS KCS.
I like the idea of a NS-KCS merger followed by picking up FEC. That would give them ownership of the line to Miami instead of trackage rights. With Fortress selling their interest in Rail America they may be interested in parting with FEC.
NS doesn't need KCS . They already own a good share of the Meridian Speedway.
NS doesn't need PAR. They already own a good share of the B&M mainline to Ayer and Portland.
NS doesn't need FEC. They are already joined at the hip at Jacksonville through marketing agreements.
Owning them would drain the treasury of money needed for the Crescent Corridor. It also comes with the headache of integration. It would provide little new business and provide few cost savings. The only real benefit would be you'd get more control over operations - but that likely wouldn't mean much better service. The current mgt isn't dopey.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
DwightBranch jeaton: A NS/KCS merger would be a big benefit to CSX. How do you mean, that it wouldn't work?
jeaton: A NS/KCS merger would be a big benefit to CSX.
Other than that see oltmannd's comments above.
oltmannd [snipped - PDN.] . . . NS doesn't need FEC. They are already joined at the hip at Jacksonville through marketing agreements. Owning them would drain the treasury of money needed for the Crescent Corridor. It also comes with the headache of integration. It would provide little new business and provide few cost savings. The only real benefit would be you'd get more control over operations - but that likely wouldn't mean much better service. The current mgt isn't dopey.
Since the STB has said that there will be no more Class 1 mergers, I would guess that N&W 611 running up Saluda Mountain is a lot more likely.
jeaton DwightBranch: jeaton: A NS/KCS merger would be a big benefit to CSX. How do you mean, that it wouldn't work? No, it would work just fine, except for the part where BNSF and UP decide who their best friend is when it comes to a partner for traffic moving east and west. Other than that see oltmannd's comments above.
DwightBranch: jeaton: A NS/KCS merger would be a big benefit to CSX. How do you mean, that it wouldn't work?
No, it would work just fine, except for the part where BNSF and UP decide who their best friend is when it comes to a partner for traffic moving east and west.
CSX sold out to BNSF a couple of years ago, letting them get to Atlanta from Birmingham. This sucked all the BNSF interchange intemodal traffic off NS/KCS. NS now moves all the E/W intermodal traffic over the UP at Shreveport.
Hey you guys. Stop treading on my territory.
When Linda Morgan as Chairman of the STB imposed the moratorium on merger applications KCS was given a pass. Of course that was a long time ago.
Hey, all, that moratorium was for a term -- 18 months? -- that expired years ago. If there have been no more applications, that's been the rails' choice.
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