Canadian Pacific’s pursuit of Norfolk Southern has taken on the tone of a rough-and-tumble yet well-intentioned star athlete pulling out all the stops to capture the heart of his dream woman, a relationship-shy political science major who continues to resist her suitor’s advances with perfectly logical yet unemotional reasons why the two aren’t right for each other.
About 71% of rail shippers surveyed by Cowen and Company do not support a merger between Canadian Pacific (CP) and Norfolk Southern (NS), even though opposition to a Class I merger per se has dropped, the company reported on Dec. 7, 2015.
Levitation takes two forms among railroads—magnetic levitation relating to futuristic high-speed passenger transport, and stock levitation associated with bidding wars for asset control.
The day after confirming that it had made an offer to Norfolk Southern—and following NS’s tepid response—Canadian Pacific on Nov. 18, 2015 disclosed the contents of the offer letter it sent to NS chief executive Jim Squires “to clarify the details of a proposal that would result in the creation of a pro-competitive, pro-customer, coast-to-coast transportation solution.”
It’s official: Canadian Pacific on Nov. 17, 2015 sent an offer letter to Norfolk Southern proposing a merger (an acquisition, really) “that would create a transcontinental railroad with the scale and reach to deliver improved levels of service to customers and communities while enhancing competition and creating significant shareholder value.” On Nov. 18, CP, in response to NS’s tepid response to the initial offer, provided “full disclosure.”
Few obstacles bedevil railroads as has the Mississippi River. Spanning it was the nation’s first rail bridge in 1856—promptly assaulted by steamboat Effie Afton. While the bridge was repaired and more constructed, the river remains a problematic divide, separating, with few exceptions, eastern railroads from those operating in the West and producing grueling interchange bottlenecks at Chicago.
Canadian Pacific Railway has held early-stage merger talks with Norfolk Southern and is raising financing for an acquisition, according to Nov. 9, 2015 news reports citing confidential sources at both carriers. NS stock jumped 11%, the most since 2008, to $88.62 at the close of the New York Stock Exchange, while CP’s 5.7% rally to C$188.79 on the Toronto Stock Exchange was its biggest gain since 2013.
Norfolk Southern joined local and state officials on Nov. 5, 2015 to dedicate a new fleet of GP33ECO environmentally friendly yard locomotives for Chicago at its 47th Street intermodal facility.
Norfolk Southern on Oct. 20, 2015 said, effective Dec. 1, 2015, it will no longer accept shipments of Poisonous-Inhalation-Hazard (PIH) commodities, and that passenger trains operated by Amtrak, Virginia Railway Express and Metra will be prohibited from operating on NS after Dec. 31.
Tuesday’s breakout sessions at the AREMA Conference included a whopping 11 presentations around the ever-import subject matter of structures.