FOR RELEASE
Contact:
Janie Sheng (202) 245-0221
05/15/2015 (Friday)
Janie Sheng
No. 15-7
FedRelay 1 (800) 877-8339
www.stb.gov
SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD APPROVES NORFOLK SOUTHERN’S ACQUISITION OF DELAWARE & HUDSON’S SOUTH LINES
The Surface Transportation Board today approved Norfolk Southern Railway Company
’
s (NSR) acquisition of approximately 283 miles of rail line in Pennsylvania and New York from the Delaware & Hudson Railway Company
,
Inc. (D&H)
,
subject to certain conditions. The lines at issue
,
known as D&H
’
s South Lines
,
consist of approximately 267 miles of the main line between Sunbury/Kase
,
Pa.
,
and Schenectady
,
N.Y.
,
and approximately 15 miles of the running track between Voorheesville Junction and Delanson
,
N.Y.
In reaching its decision
,
the Board found that NSR
’
s acquisition of the South Lines from D&H is not likely to cause a substantial lessening of competition or create a monopoly or restraint of trade. The Board found this to be true
,
even when taking into account D&H
’
s planned discontinuance of trackage rights that connect to the D&H South Lines
,
which are the subject of a separate proceeding. The Board concluded that any anticompetitive effects are unlikely and
,
even if they were to occur
,
would be far outweighed by the very strong public benefits of the transaction. Such benefits include allowing NSR to provide more reliable
,
safe
,
and efficient service for shippers and allowing NSR and rail transportation generally to provide more effective competition with other modes of transportation
,
such as trucking and barge. The Board issued the approval subject to a number of conditions
,
including a condition that NSR enter into two voluntary commercial agreements with D&H to preserve certain shippers
’
access to two carriers (NSR and D&H).
The Board issued its decision today in
Norfolk Southern Railway Company—Acquisition and Operation—Certain Rail Lines of the Delaware and Hudson Railway Company, Inc., FD 35873
. That decision may be viewed and downloaded at the STB website
,
www.stb.dot.gov
,
under
“
E-LIBRARY / Decisions & Notices / 05 / 15 / 2015
”
.
###