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The fact of the matter is that CSX doesn't originate or terminate any potential import/export business anywhere near Searsport, which will be a distant outpost for them if the deal goes through. They can handle anything they need to at existing port terminals up and down the East and Gulf coasts, fr...

Mr Norman, I’m curious, so what types of products do you envision CSX wanting to handle through Searsport?

There are more than enough opportunities on the PAR system to keep CSX busy. As has been mentioned multiple times, there's a ton of business that moves in and out of the Maritimes and Northern Maine via CP and CN, much of which is almost certain to fall into their lap with little to no effort requir...

Yup, they had a pretty good thing going for a while there with the POSJ/SJPO runs. Now with direct CSX pricing, upgraded track (286K), improved service and equipment supply, CSX will be in an even better position to grow the business.

There is no question that both CN and CP are going to see a significant diversion of traffic off the Irving roads to CSX. A very large chunk of the paper, lumber and chemical traffic that both handle ends up in CSX territory where they are going to be the odd man out no matter what. They'll have a m...

It's all going to Ayer. This new business may be part of much bigger contracts that NS won throughout the East, and in the grand scheme of things wouldn't really be effected by service levels to Ayer.

Pretty sure they lost Toyota too.

Hearing that NS has grabbed a bunch of CSX's East Brookfield auto traffic.

The Potash terminal is on the East side (former CN). I don't know the reason why, but have heard that CP has been trying unsuccessfully for some time to gain access. Others may be able to provide more details. Not sure that CSX originates a lot of Potash and if they do it would almost certainly go t...

Correct on the access at SJ. The only customer that may be outside of that agreement is the Potash export terminal which I think CP has been blocked from using.

I believe that the whole Saint John terminal is switched by the NBSR and all 3 roads have equal switch access (CP, CN and ST). CN's only advantage is that they get directly into SJ whereas CP and ST have to pay the NBSR haulage to get there.

CN can and probably will try to use pricing to force traffic over their long-haul interchange, but CSX as the destination carrier can play that game too. The other thing is that CSX is a lot closer to the CN origins than CN is to the CSX destinations, so if CN doesn't play nice, CSX could offer tran...

Roberttosh, I expect CN to continue routing cars via Buffalo and Montreal. Routing via Saint John or the SLR/SLQ seems far too roundabout for me. They could possibly route via the NECR. On paper it would be far more direct than Montreal; however, the line would undoubtedly require infrastructure up...

I'm curious how CN will route Maritime traffic to and from CSX points along the I-95 corridor. Will they short haul themselves and use the much more direct Saint John interchange, or insist upon the more roundabout long haul route through Huntington by way of Montreal.

Lowell would clearly be more centrally located, but I just don't know if it would ever be able to get rebuilt or redesigned to the point where it could efficiently handle classification work for both Eastern MA and NH, block swapping, etc like Lawrence can. Plus Lawrence has long switching leads on ...