Ruppersberger sees thaw at CSX
I ran into U.S. Rep. C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger at the Maryland Highway Safety Foundation gathering in Columbia Thursday and we had a brief chat about relations with CSX Corp. -- the giant freight railroad with a long history of prickly relationships with state and local governments.
Ruppersberger, who said he found CSX difficult to deal with during his 1994-2002 stint as Baltimore County Executive, said he's been chatting regularly and cordially with CSX Chief Executive Officer Michael Ward.
Ward, a Baltimore native, took over as CEO in 2003 -- two years after the Howard Street Tunnel Fire. That derailment and fire strained relations with the city administration of then-Mayor Martin O'Malley.
The nation's freight railroads, which are both regulated and protected by the federal government, have been known in the past to treat local elected officials with ill-concealed disdain over such matters as the security of hazardous cargo.In Maryland, there has been tension over the use of CSX tracks for MARC commuter service and the importance of replacing the century-old Howard Street Tunnel.
Ruppersberger said he has noticed a climate change in recent discussions. "I have really seen a major difference," the Second District Democrat said.
It might seem like a small thing, but Maryland and Baltimore have a lot to gain from a more productive interaction with CSX. And with a Maryland guy, state Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari, slated for the No. 2 post at the U.S. Department of Transportation, CSX might have something to gain as well.
Comments
Might I suggest that CSX might be hedging their bets that Maryland might see fit to direct any federally supplied pork-barrel/"stimulus" money towards building more trackage between Baltimore and Washington (and maybe out towards Frederick/Brunswick) to increase the rail lines' capacitiy, and thus dramatically improve MARC Camden/Brunswick timekeeping and number of trains? I constantly hear regular MARC riders deride CSX as if Maryland or Md. DOT actually owned and ran the lines, and who seem to sincerely believe that CSX freights on the lines are a privilege granted unto CSX. When they compare MARC to Virginia Rail Express, they don't want to hear (or don't care) that Virginia invested heavily in improving CSX's capacity on the lines they share.
Posted by: Alexander D. Mitchell IV | April 16, 2009 10:50 PM
Michael,
Your recent CSX article got me thinking about a problem in the city with railroad crossings. I live in Canton, and twice a day I cross over the 4 (or is it 5?) tracks on Boston St., between Ponca St. and Canton proper. Over the years, this 4-5 track wide crossing has been beaten up by cars and eighteen wheelers crossing them, to the point where you have to literally go 2 mph in order to avoid blowing the suspension or messing up your alignment. Curiously enough, there is a single-track crossing Boston St. about 200 yards closer to the I-95 exit, right near the Royal Farms, that was totally replaced and re-done back in December. That crossing is so smooth you can actually maintain normal speed crossing it.
My question is this: Who is responsible for maintenance on the 5 tracks crossing further down Boston towards Canton, and would you be able to find out if there are any plans to replace or repair this one too?
I enjoy your blog, and look forward to hearing back from you.
-Mike Williams
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Michael D. Williams
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REPLY: Good questions. Anyone out there know?
Posted by: Michael D. Williams | April 20, 2009 3:09 PM
In reply to the railroad crossing query, looking at my RR maps, you may find that both Norfolk Southern and the Canton Railroad traverse that crossing, probably even CSX as well. Not only do you have at least two railroads to deal with, but the city itself has to do the actual paving (assuming it's a city-owned street). This is often the reason such crossings take so long to get redone--overlapping jurisdiction, and a need to coordinate a combination of track and road repair.
Posted by: Alexander D. Mitchell IV | April 21, 2009 6:29 AM