Eastern Canada/Maritimes

[tpsmyth01]

Does anyone think there is a chance with CN's reacquisition of QCRR that CP will buy back its old lines into New Brunswick. I'll be the first to admit that the forestry/paper sector is in pretty sorry shape right now. However, in the past fifteen years there has been a huge expansion the energy/refining sector in Atlantic Canada that many predicted fifteen years ago would never come to fruition. Irving for example is doubling the size of its Saint John refinery and is building a new LNG unloading facility. A gas refraction plant has also been completed on Cape Breton island and plans are in the works for a new container terminal on Nova Scotia in the territory of CBNS. One of the key things would seem to be whether CP could get trackage rights past Saint John to interchange with CBNS

Tim

[CN9634]

I think with the MMA as a partner, that won't likely happen anytime soon. But it is curious to note that it seems like these large railroads are buying up smaller once to fortify themselves for possible "mega-mergers". I would love to see CN come back into Maine and buyout the SLR.

[Engineer Spike]

I don't think that there is enough business to permit this. I have a friend who likes to talk about the 'what ifs' of railroad mergers, buyouts, etc. We wonder why CP did not try to get rights to Halifax when CN went private. That would have made competition. It may have taken some strain off of New York/New Jersey.
When CN and BNSF tried to merge, they were saying that this made the most direct land bridge, for Europe-Asia container traffic.

[roberttosh]

For all the business in the Maritimes, CN really doesn't have that busy of an operation there; at least in regard to train counts. Just don't see where there's enough traffic to warrant another major class one coming into the area. The former CP across Maine goes through a lot of desloate areas where there is virtually no hope of developing any new business. I also think the long term trend is for container ships to offload/load more at the big metropolitan area ports like NY/NJ, Norfolk, Charleston, etc. Isn't CN down to just one container train a day in/out of Halifax?