Brian Gorton named as Conrail president, chief operating officer Conrail has named Brian E. Gorton as its president and chief operating officer, succeeding the retired Timothy Tierney. The move, announced Thursday, was effective April 19. Gorton, who began his railroad career as a conductor for Conrail in 1987, was most recently the general manager of […]
Railroad: Kansas City Southern
Canadian Pacific, Canadian National weigh in on approval of CP voting trust for Kansas City Southern (updated)
Canadian Pacific and Canadian National both reacted positively Thursday evening to a Surface Transportation Board decision allowing CP to place Kansas City Southern into a voting trust as part of its merger plans. CP calls it a “critical milestone” in its bid, while CN says it is encouraged the voting trust that is part of […]
STB approves Canadian Pacific request to put Kansas City Southern in voting trust
WASHINGTON – Federal regulators on Thursday approved Canadian Pacific’s request to put Kansas City Southern into a voting trust while their proposed $29 billion merger is under review. Canadian National, which has a dueling $33.7 billion unsolicited offer under review by the KCS board, also has asked the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to consider its […]
Canadian National plans major upgrade to IC-KCS route to Kansas City
MONTREAL – As part of its proposed acquisition of Kansas City Southern, Canadian National envisions spending $250 million to create an upgraded route linking Kansas City, Mo., with Eastern Canada via Springfield, Ill. The big prize in a CN-KCS merger is connecting Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. But the combined CN-KCS route to Kansas City would […]
Digest: Wabtec battery-electric locomotive named a ‘World Changing Idea’
Wabtec wins award for FLXdrive locomotive, Golden Stevie Award; gains contract for equipment in India Wabtec’s FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive has been named a winner of Fast Company magazine’s World Changing Ideas for 2021 in the transportation category. The locomotive, which recently concluded more than 13,000 miles of testing in Southern California, uses more than 18,000 […]
New releases continue CP, CN efforts to gain support for KCS merger bids
In Monday morning’s latest installment in the regulatory and public-relations efforts to boost their respective bids for Kansas City Southern, Canadian Pacific and Canadian National have each issued new press release. CP’s cites what it terms “mounting opposition” to the CN-KCS merger proposal, while CN has released an open letter to “the Kansas City Southern […]
Buffett talks about Canadian pursuit of KCS, plus BNSF narrowing gap with UP
OMAHA, Neb. — BNSF Railway corporate parent Berkshire Hathaway is closely watching the battle for Kansas City Southern. Canadian Pacific and Canadian National have dueling bids in place for the smallest Class I railroad, with an eye toward creating the first system to link Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. “Either of those companies acquiring Kansas […]
Digest: Canadian Pacific seeks to have CN-KCS merger judged by more stringent rules
Canadian Pacific tells STB CN-KCS deal should not receive waiver from 2001 merger rules Canadian Pacific has asked the Surface Transportation Board to rule the proposed merger of Canadian National and Kansas City Southern does not qualify for a waiver from more stringent merger rules adopted in 2001. The STB has already granted that waiver […]
Sgt. Saunders and the Kansas City Southern
Throughout the 1960s, my grandfather owned a filling station in the tiny town of Lanagan, south of Joplin in the southwestern corner of Missouri on the Kansas City Southern main line. Every weekend I would be at the station, and once my chores were done, I was free to wander about the area. The KCS […]
Digest: MARC commuter service to West Virginia in jeopardy
West Virginia fails to fund MARC service, placing future in doubt The future of MARC commuter rail service to West Virginia is again in doubt after the state legislature failed to include service for the funding in its 2021-22 budget. The Martinsburg Journal-News reports state Senate President Craig Blair said he struck the commuter train […]
How will KCS board weigh competing merger offers from CP and CN?
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Southern board of directors will have to weigh dueling bids for the railway, pitting Canadian Pacific’s friendly $29 billion deal against Canadian National’s unsolicited $33.7 billion offer. Analysts say that CP’s bid, while lower, is almost certain to gain regulatory approval. CN’s bid is more attractive for investors, but […]
Canadian Pacific can’t win a KCS bidding war, CEO Creel says
Canadian Pacific CEO Keith Creel yesterday told a shipper group that his railroad can’t win a bidding war for Kansas City Southern. Creel also wouldn’t rule out cooperating with Canadian National and KCS on some level, and said that if CN and KCS were to merge, leaving CP as the smallest Class I railroad, CP […]