Massachusetts has proposed a compromise to resolve a dispute over its plan to help railroads build a route for double-stack trains to connect the Port of Boston with Chicago. State transport officials are studying the cost of a new north-south route that would link the rail lines of competing carriers-Consolidated Rail Corp. and Guilford Transportation Industries Inc. The U.S.-Canadian stack trains could reach Chicago in 38 hours through an interline agreement with Norfolk Southern Corp., presenting major competition for Conrail, the largest rail carrier in the Northeast. . . . The high-speed rail revolution is bringing record-breaking business for GEC Alsthom, the Anglo-French undertaking that`s the world leader in high-speed rail transport. The company, jointly owned by Britain`s GEC and Alsthom of France, has a $6.48 billion order book. More than 220 high-speed trains are in service, and GEC Alsthom has firm orders for another 300. . . . Czechoslovak Railways Co. announced it will increase all charges for cross-border freight by up to 300 percent to align its tariffs with those of neighboring countries. The price hike will take effect Nov. 1.
