CN and Norfolk Southern Corporation have announced an initiative to create a "MidAmerica Corridor" in which the railroads will share track between Chicago, St Louis, Kentucky, and Mississippi to establish shorter and faster routes for merchandise and coal traffic moving between the Midwest and Southeast.
This initiative, when finalised through definitive agreements, will have three components. First, Norfolk Southern (NS) will haul CN freight between Chicago and St Louis, reducing the distance between these points for CN shipments by 60 miles and providing improved connections to other rail carriers through the St Louis gateway.
Second, NS will use CN's routes between St Louis and Fulton, Ky, as part of a new, more efficient route from the Midwest to the Southeast, saving more than 50 miles on NS shipments.
Third, CN will haul NS freight between Chicago and Fulton, shortening NS's Chicago-to-Birmingham route by almost 100 miles.
As part of the MidAmerica Corridor, CN and NS plan to create a new coal gateway at Corinth, Miss, to better link NS-served southeastern utility plants with CN-served Illinois Basin coal producers.
A key component of the new initiative is the West Tennessee Railroad between Fulton and Corinth, which will be upgraded to handle heavier shipments and additional rail traffic.
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