Heartland Corridor

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

>The ability is there to get to Harrisburg, the Shenandoah Line is

>cleared for Double Stacks and we currently have a Train #202 Running up

>through the Valley Friday-Monday that has blocks for Harrisburg and for

>other northern points such as North Jersey.



>So How is there No Rail way to Harrisburg from Roanoke?

>

>Nathan Simmons



I know the ability to run trains is there, NS has had the ability to run 
container trains up the valley for over a decade... the service is not... 
you can have all the tracks and routes in the world, but they are useless 
without service.  The Heartland Corridor does nothing to address north-south 
trailer traffic.


202 (and 226 when it runs) are primarily interchange container trains that 
originate in Memphis, with some TOFC.  Both of these formerly went to 
Atlanta (IIRC, they still do as needed), where their traffic went on 214 to 
Rutherford and/or E-rail (or Morrisville, biut that's container only).  They 
are nothing more than re-routes used as needed.  They are not new service.

Also, they do not have blocks for Harrisburg.  NS doesn't even list service 
to/from Memphis-Harrisburg on their Domestic Service Matrix.




>Where does traffic going down the Bristol line go beyond Bristol? Would 

>that not be the path taken to reach Knoxville AND Chatanooga? Or are we 

>talking upgrading to handle container traffic, or what? I think I got 

>confused somewhere....

>

>Bob Welsh



It would be the path... if their was service... see above.  Next time you're 
on I-81, count the number of containers vs the number of trailers (if you're 
really bored, count the number of OO trailers vs corporate trailers)... the 
Heartland Corridor is for east-west container traffic out of Norfolk (to 
coincide with APMs new terminals) not north-south trailer traffic.