Norfolk Southern Corporation (NS) marked the first anniversary of its purchase of 282 miles of Delaware & Hudson Railway Co.’s (D&H) line between Sunbury, Pa., and Schenectady, N.Y., highlighting improvements it has made to the corridor. NS completed its $214.5 million purchase from Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) on September 18, 2015. D&H is a subsidiary of CP.
James A. Squires, NS chairman, president, and CEO, stated, “We set out to improve our competitive transportation offerings between Pennsylvania, New York, and New England, and I’m proud to say Norfolk Southern is well on its way to achieving that goal. Norfolk Southern takes great pride in incorporating this corridor into our safe, reliable, and efficient 22-state freight rail network.”
Since acquiring the line, NS has improved infrastructure by installing 90,000 new ties, resurfacing 84 miles of track, and making improvements to the Belden Tunnel in New York. NS also hired 166 new employees, including 140 former D&H employees with experience working the corridor.
NS has also noted that it improved service on the route, with an average of eight daily trains helping to attract additional rail traffic. NS Intermodal terminals at Ayer, Mass., and Scranton, Pa., have seen double-digit volume growth during the past year.
“Our operation of this corridor not only underscores our confidence in the economy of the region, but also preserves good-paying railroad jobs and revitalizes this important rail line,” said John H. Friedmann, NS vice president strategic planning. “We’re making these investments to provide our customers with freight rail service that helps them thrive, and we continuously look to improve safety for our employees, our customers, and the communities in which we operate.”
NS and New York State are partnering to replace the Portageville Bridge in Letchworth State Park to further improve service to Binghamton, Scranton, Albany, and New England. The new bridge will replace the span, which currently operates under weight and speed restrictions. The bridge is expected to open in 2017.
The D&H line connects to the NS network at Sunbury and Binghamton, N.Y., as well as to its joint venture subsidiary Pan Am Southern at Mechanicville, N.Y. The Pan Am Southern network, which services New England markets, and the former D&H line provide NS with a single-line route linking Chicago and southeastern U. S. markets to the Capital Region of New York.