Evaluation of the U.S. Railway Association's Preliminary System Plan: Supplemental Report

Details

• Corporate Creators:
  United States. Rail Services Planning Office.
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States Railway Association ; United States. Interstate Commerce Commission
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Finance Planning Railroads System Design
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Interstate Commerce Commission
• Abstract:
  The U.S. Railway Association’s Preliminary System Plan established the proposed structure for Conrail and related rail-service changes, after which the Rail Services Planning Office of the Interstate Commerce Commission issued its own April 1975 evaluation of that plan. Because the Erie Lackawanna Railway entered the Regional Rail Reorganization Act restructuring process only after the original Preliminary System Plan was already far advanced, USRA then issued a supplement addressing Erie Lackawanna light-density lines and coordination projects. This June 1975 supplemental RSPO report evaluates that Erie Lackawanna supplement through public testimony, coordination-project review, light-density line analysis, and subsidy analysis.
  
  The report shows that public response was dominated by concern over proposed light-density line abandonments. Witnesses criticized USRA’s branch-line profitability methodology, questioned the accuracy of its data, and argued that the plan gave insufficient weight to community, economic, environmental, energy, and passenger-service impacts. The report also documents substantial public interest in preserving competitive rail service, maintaining commuter and potential passenger corridors, protecting industrial access, and retaining railroad rights-of-way for future public use. Its broader significance lies in showing how the Conrail planning process incorporated public participation and independent review into a major rail restructuring, helping ensure that decisions about line retention, abandonment, competition, and subsidy support were evaluated not only as financial questions, but also as transportation, economic-development, and public-interest issues.
  
  
• Content Notes:
  An extension to the report issued in April 1975. "June 1975". "Submitted in accordance with Section 207 (b)(3) of the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-236)".
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  Federal Railroad Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3d08b14de186720d8369822de2656e3324679da1b120507f8a44afeaf3f647c5596a56fa951307cf4a82cd5ca3ab6ab747d0d14e5a7d34acef16342ea469325b
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/91246/dot_91246_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.47 MB ]