NS announced that an Atlanta by-pass along an existing former line was one of the capital improvements to be made this year. They said it would include rail, ties and bridge rebuilding. Has anyone heard which line this might be?

-- David Donaldson (esom1@msn.com), January 11, 2000

Answers

If this is the same rehab that was first announced last year, it will be the former CofG line from Macon-Columbus-Birmingham. This line was downgraded about 10 years ago over a labor dispute involving cutting off a trainman on through freights. It has only seen local freights since and I believe a portion close to Birmingham saw no activity at all. The rehab is being done so that Florida/Macon-Birmingham traffic can be taken off the congested former Southern line between Macon and Atlanta. When this was first rumored last year, there was much speculation among us that the line to be rehabed was the former CofG between Macon-Griffin-Rome. I have often wondered why NS does not rehab the line through Griffin as a bypass of Atlanta for Macon-Chattanooga traffic. Perhaps if business picks up we will see this as well.

Questions concerning the rehab of the Macon-Birmingham line:

(1) Does anyone know if labor issues have been resolved. Did labor give in or did NS give up the fight???

(2) Does the rehab include tunnel work near Birmingham that currently prohibits auto-racks and intermodal???

(3) I understand some trains are already using this line. Does anyone know the frequency per day??? Does anyone know how many trains NS hopes to operate over this line when the rehab is completed???

(4) The former CofG line through Griffin has seen overflow traffic in the past. With the Birmingham line being used, will this take enough off the former Southern Macon-Atlanta line that we won't be seeing as many freights through Griffin???

Thanks in advance for any answers and thanks for a great board.

Bryan Smith

-- Bryan Smith (bsmith3608@aol.com), January 11, 2000.