I was puzzled by the statement in John Schmeltzer’s Feb. 27 article (Business) that “. . . Union Pacific’s continuing problems at the minimum will delay, if not kill, plans by the CSX Transportation Co. and the Norfolk Southern Railroad (sic) to divvy up the Conrail system, which provides one of the rail links for Chicago to the East Coast.”
There is no evidence to support that claim, nor has anyone disputed the environmental, social and economic benefits expected to flow from the Conrail transaction. These include diversion of truck traffic from the highways, fewer emissions into the atmosphere, reduced fuel consumption, enhanced train and employee safety, increased railroad competitiveness, increased economic development and global competitiveness and the hundreds of millions of dollars that CSX and NS plan to expend to improve the rail system in the Eastern United States.
To date, some 2,700 shippers, communities, government agencies and other railroads have expressed support for the Conrail transaction, which continues on schedule toward a vote by the Surface Transportation Board in early June.
