View source for Conrail

{{Short description|Former American Class I railroad (1976–1999)}}
{{For|current operations under the Conrail name|Conrail Shared Assets Operations}}
{{use mdy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox rail
| railroad_name    = Conrail
| logo             = Conrail logo.svg
| system_map       = Conrail System Map.PNG
| map_caption      = Conrail system map with trackage rights in red
| image            = CR 6256 and 6469 at former Erie Yard, Gang Mills, NY on October 4, 1987 (22219431253).jpg
| caption          = CR 6256 and 6469 at former Erie Yard in [[Gang Mills, New York]] on October 4, 1987
| headquarters     = [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]]
| marks            = CR
|founded           = April 1, 1976
| defunct          = June 1, 1999
| locale           = [[Northeastern United States]], [[Midwestern United States]], [[Ontario]], [[Quebec]]
| predecessor_line = {{collapsible list|
[[Penn Central Transportation Company]]<br>[[Erie Lackawanna Railway]]<br>[[Ann Arbor Railroad (1895–1976)|Ann Arbor Railway]]<br>[[Lehigh Valley Railroad]]<br>[[Reading Company]]<br>[[Central Railroad of New Jersey]]<br>[[Lehigh and Hudson River Railway]]<br>[[Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines]] (merged April 1, 1976)<br>[[Monongahela Railroad]] (merged 1993)
}}
| successor_line    = {{collapsible list|
[[CSX Transportation]]<br>[[Norfolk Southern Railway]]<br>[[Conrail Shared Assets Operations]] (current entity)<br>[[Metro-North Railroad]]<br>[[Indiana Southern Railroad]]<br>[[Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad]]<br>[[Delaware Lackawanna Railroad]]
}}
| gauge            = {{Track gauge|ussg|allk=on}}
| electrification  = Portions of former [[Penn Central Transportation Company|PC]] lines
}}
'''Conrail''' {{reporting mark|CR}}, formally the '''Consolidated Rail Corporation''', was the primary [[Class I railroad]] in the [[Northeastern United States]] between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a [[portmanteau]] based on the company's legal name. It [[Conrail Shared Assets Operations|continues to do business]] as an asset management and network services provider in three Shared Assets Areas that were excluded from the division of its operations during its acquisition by [[CSX Corporation]] and the [[Norfolk Southern Railway]].

The [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]] created Conrail to take over the potentially profitable lines of multiple [[Bankruptcy|bankrupt]] carriers, including the [[Penn Central Transportation Company]] and [[Erie Lackawanna Railway]]. After railroad regulations were lifted by the [[Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act|4R Act]] and the [[Staggers Rail Act|Staggers Act]], Conrail began to turn a profit in the 1980s and was privatized in 1987. The two remaining [[Railroad classes|Class I railroads]] in the [[Eastern United States|East]], CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), agreed in 1997 to acquire the system and split it into two roughly-equal parts (alongside three residual shared-assets areas), returning rail freight competition to the Northeast by essentially undoing the 1968 merger of the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] and [[New York Central Railroad]] that created [[Penn Central Transportation Company|Penn Central]]. Following approval by the [[Surface Transportation Board]], CSX and NS took control in August 1998, and on June 1, 1999, began operating their respective portions of Conrail.

The old company remains a jointly owned subsidiary, with CSX and NS owning respectively 42% and 58% of the company's shares, corresponding to how much of Conrail's assets they acquired. Each parent, however, has an equal [[voting interest]]. The primary asset retained by Conrail is ownership of the three [[Conrail Shared Assets Operations|Shared Assets Areas]] in [[New Jersey]], [[Philadelphia]], and [[Detroit]]. Both CSX and NS have the right to serve all shippers in these areas, paying Conrail for the cost of maintaining and improving [[Track (rail transport)|trackage]]. They also make use of Conrail to perform [[switching and terminal railroad|switching and terminal]] services within the areas, but not as a [[common carrier]], since contracts are signed between shippers and CSX or NS. Conrail also retains various support facilities including [[Track (rail transport)|maintenance-of-way]] and training, as well as a 51 percent share in the [[Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad]].

== History ==
=== Context: 1973–1976 ===
In the years leading to 1973, the freight railroad system of the Northeastern United States was collapsing. Although government-funded [[Amtrak]] took over [[Inter-city rail|intercity passenger services]] on May 1, 1971, railroad companies continued to lose money due to extensive government regulations, expensive labor costs, competition from other transportation modes, declining industrial business and other factors.{{sfnp|Stover|1997|p=226}}

The largest railroad in the region, [[Penn Central Transportation Company|Penn Central]] (PC), [[Bankruptcy of Penn Central|declared bankruptcy]] in 1970, after less than three years of existence. Formed in 1968 by the merger of the [[New York Central Railroad]] and [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] (and supplemented in 1969 by the [[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad]]), the PC was created with almost no plans to merge the varied corporate cultures, and the resulting company was a hopelessly entangled mess.{{sfnp|Stover|1997|p=233–234}} At its lowest point, PC was losing over $1 million a day and trains were becoming lost all over the railroad.

In 1972, [[Hurricane Agnes]] damaged the rundown Northeast railway network and threatened the solvency of other railroads, including the somewhat more solvent [[Erie Lackawanna Railway|Erie Lackawanna]] (EL). In mid-1973, officials with the bankrupt Penn Central threatened to [[Liquidation|liquidate]] and cease operations by year's end if they did not receive government aid by October 1. This threat to US freight and passenger traffic galvanized [[United States Congress|Congress]] to quickly create a bill to [[Nationalization|nationalize]] the bankrupt railroads. The [[Association of American Railroads]], which opposed nationalization, submitted an alternate proposal for a government-funded private company. Judge Fullam forced the Penn Central to operate into 1974, when, on January 2, after threatening a [[veto]], President [[Richard Nixon]] signed the [[United States Railway Association|Regional Rail Reorganization Act]] of 1973 into law.<ref>Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973, Pub.L. 93-236, 87 Stat. 985, {{USC|45|741}}. Approved January 2, 1974. Note: The approved bill was also called the "Northeast Region Rail Services Act." Section 1 of Pub.L. 93–236 provided that the law may be cited as "Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973." See [https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/45/701- 45 U.S.C. 701 note].</ref> The "3R Act," as it was called, provided interim funding to the bankrupt railroads and defined a new '''Consolidated Rail Corporation''' under the [[Association of American Railroads]]' plan.{{citation needed|date = March 2014}}

The 3R Act also formed the [[United States Railway Association]] (USRA), another [[State-owned enterprise|government corporation]], taking over the powers of the [[Interstate Commerce Commission]] with respect to allowing the bankrupt railroads to abandon unprofitable lines.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Keeffe |first1=Arthur John |date=July 1974 |title=Current Legal Literature: Hear That Whistle Down the Line? |journal=ABA Journal |publisher=American Bar Association |volume=60 |pages=860 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yr9X6w-dp40C&q=%22united+states+railway+association%22&pg=PA860 |via=Google Books}}</ref> The USRA was incorporated on February 1, 1974, and Edward G. Jordan, an [[insurance]] [[Corporate title|executive]] from [[California]], was named president on March 18 by Nixon. Arthur D. Lewis of [[Eastern Air Lines]] was appointed chairman on April 30, and the remainder of the board was named on May 30 and sworn in on July 11.{{citation needed|date = March 2014}}

[[File:Conrail FSP.jpg|thumb|300px|The 1975 Final System Plan left major parts of the [[Erie Lackawanna Railway]] and [[Reading Company]] out of Conrail]]
Under the 3R Act, the USRA was to create a "Final System Plan" to decide which lines should be included in the new Consolidated Rail Corporation. Unlike most railroad consolidations, only the designated lines were to be taken over. Other lines would be sold to Amtrak, various state governments, transportation agencies, and solvent railroads. The few remaining lines were to remain with the old companies along with all previously abandoned lines, many stations, and all non-rail related properties, thus converting most of the old companies into solvent property-holding companies. The plan was unveiled on July 26, 1975, consisting of lines from Penn Central and six other companies—the [[Ann Arbor Railroad (1895–1976)|Ann Arbor Railroad]] (bankrupt 1973), [[Erie Lackawanna Railway]] (1972), [[Lehigh Valley Railroad]] (1970), [[Reading Company]] (1971), [[Central Railroad of New Jersey]] (1967) and [[Lehigh and Hudson River Railway]] (1972). Controlled railroads and jointly owned railroads such as [[Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines]] and the [[Raritan River Railroad]] (1980) were also included (See [[List of companies transferred to Conrail|list of railroads transferred to Conrail]] for a full list).<ref name="USRA Fact">U.S. Railway Association (USRA), Washington, DC (February 26, 1975). "Fact Sheet: The Preliminary System Plan for Restructuring the Railroads of the Northeast and Midwest."</ref> It was approved by Congress on November 9, and on February 5, 1976, President [[Gerald Ford]] signed the [[Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act]] of 1976, which included this Final System Plan, into law.<ref>Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act, Pub. L. 94-210, {{USStat|90|31}}, {{USC|45|801}}. February 5, 1976.</ref><ref name="FSP">USRA (July 26, 1975). ''Final System Plan for Restructuring Railroads in the Northeast and Midwest Region pursuant to the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973.'' ("FSP")<nowiki>:</nowiki><br />{{cite web| url=http://multimodalways.org/docs/govts/federal/executive/DOT/USRA/FSP/FSP%20VI.pdf| title=Vol. 1| website=Multimodal Ways}}{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.{{cite web| url=http://multimodalways.org/docs/govts/federal/executive/DOT/USRA/FSP/FSP%20VII.pdf| website=Multimodal Ways| title=Vol. 2}}{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The EL had been formed in 1960 as a merger of the [[Erie Railroad]] and [[Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad]]. It too was bankrupt, but was somewhat stronger financially than the others. It was ruled reorganizable under Chapter 77 on April 30, 1974 (as had the [[Boston and Maine Corporation|Boston and Maine Railroad]]), but on January 9, 1975, with no end to its losses in sight, its trustees reconsidered and asked for inclusion. The Final System Plan assigned a major section of the EL, from northern [[New Jersey]] west to northeast [[Ohio]], to be sold to the [[Chessie System]], which would help spur [[competition]] in Conrail's territory. Chessie, however, could not reach an agreement with EL [[Trade union|labor unions]], and in February 1976 announced that it would not be buying the EL section. The USRA hurriedly assigned large amounts of [[trackage rights]] to the [[Delaware and Hudson Railway]], allowing it to compete in the [[Philadelphia|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], and [[Washington, D.C.]], markets.
The [[Michigan|State of Michigan]] decided to keep operational the full [[Ann Arbor Railroad (1895–1976)|Ann Arbor Railroad]], of which Conrail would run only the southernmost portion. Michigan bought it and the whole line was operated by Conrail for several years until it was sold to a [[Shortline railroad|short line]].{{citation needed|date = March 2014}}

=== Operation: 1976–1986 ===
Conrail was incorporated in Pennsylvania on October 25, 1974, and operations began on April 1, 1976. The federal government owned 85%, with employees owning the remaining 15%.<ref>{{cite magazine| title=Conrail off to a good start| magazine=Railway Gazette International| date=March 1977| page=93}}</ref> The theory was that if the service was improved through increased [[Investment|capital investment]], the economic basis of the railroad would be improved. During its first seven years, Conrail proved to be highly unprofitable, despite receiving billions of dollars of assistance from Congress. The corporation declared enormous losses on its federal income tax returns from 1976 through 1982, resulting in an accumulated net operating loss of $2.2 billion during that period. Congress once again reacted with support by passing the Northeast Rail Service Act of 1981 (NERSA),<ref>Northeast Rail Service Act of 1981, Pub. L. 97-35, {{Usc-title-chap|45|20}}, August 13, 1981.</ref> which amended portions of the 3R Act by exempting Conrail from liability for any state taxes<ref>{{USC|45|727(c)}}</ref> and requiring the [[United States Secretary of Transportation|Secretary of Transportation]] to make arrangements for the sale of the government's interest in Conrail.<ref>{{USC|45|761}}</ref> After NERSA was implemented, Conrail, under the aggressive leadership of [[Stanley Crane|L. Stanley Crane]]<ref name="NAE">{{cite web| url=http://www.nae.edu/29537.aspx|website=National Academy of Engineering| title=Mr. L. Stanley Crane}}</ref><ref name="crane" group=note>''L. Stanley Crane'' (born in [[Cincinnati]], 1915) raised in Washington, lived in [[McLean, Virginia|McLean]] before moving to [[Philadelphia]] in 1981. He began his career with [[Southern Railway (U.S.)|Southern Railway]] after graduating from [[The George Washington University]] with a [[chemical engineering]] degree in 1938. He worked for the railroad, except for a stint from 1959 to 1961 with the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]], until reaching the company's mandatory retirement age in 1980. Crane went to Conrail in 1981 after a distinguished career that had seen him rise to the position of CEO at the Southern Railway. He died of pneumonia on July 15, 2003, at a hospice in [[Boynton Beach, Florida]].</ref> began to improve and reported taxable income between $2 million and $314 million each year from 1983 through 1986.

Conrail's government-funded rebuilding of the dilapidated infrastructure and [[rolling stock]] it inherited from its six predecessors succeeded by the end of the 1970s in improving the physical condition of tracks, [[diesel locomotive|locomotives]] and [[Goods wagon|freight cars]]. However, fundamental economic regulatory issues remained, and Conrail continued to post losses of as much as $1 million a day. Conrail management, recognizing the need for more regulatory freedoms to address the economic issues, were among the parties lobbying for what became the [[Staggers Rail Act|Staggers Act]] of 1980, which significantly loosened the [[Interstate Commerce Commission]]'s rigid economic control of the rail industry. This allowed Conrail and other carriers the opportunity to become profitable and strengthen their finances.<ref>Staggers Rail Act of 1980, Pub. L. 96-448, {{USStat|94|1895}}. Approved October 14, 1980.</ref>

The Staggers Act allowed the setting of rates that would recover capital and operating cost (fully allocated cost recovery) by each and every route mile the railroad operated. There would be no more cross-subsidization of costs between route-miles (that is, revenue on profitable route segments were not used to subsidize routes where rates were set at intermodal parity, yet still did recover fully allocated costs). Finally, where current and/or future traffic projections showed that profitable volumes of traffic would not return, the railroads were allowed to abandon those routes, shippers and passengers to other modes of transportation. Under the Staggers Act, railroads, including Conrail, were freed from the requirement to continue money-losing services.

[[File:CR 18065 IN Porter.jpg|thumb|Conrail transfer [[caboose]] 18065 brings up the rear of a local freight passing [[Porter, Indiana]], in the early 1990s]]
Conrail began turning a profit by 1981, the result of the Staggers Act freedoms and its own managerial improvements under the leadership of L. Stanley Crane,<ref name="NAE" /> who had been chief executive officer of the [[Southern Railway (U.S.)|Southern Railway]].<ref>{{cite magazine| last1=Phillips| first1=Christopher| title=This Railroad Is Building Up Speed| magazine=Kiplinger's Personal Finance| date=March 1994| page=38| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x_4DAAAAMBAJ&q=%22This+Railroad+Is+Building+Up+Speed%22&pg=PA37| via=Google Books}}</ref> While the Staggers Act helped immensely in allowing all railroads to more-easily abandon unprofitable rail lines and set their own freight rates, it was under Crane's leadership that Conrail truly became a profitable operation. Soon after Crane took office in 1981 he shed another 4,400 miles from the Conrail system in the following two years, which accounted for only 1% of the railroad's overall traffic and 2% of its profits while saving it millions of dollars in maintenance costs.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}} NERSA relieved Conrail of its requirement to provide [[commuter rail|commuter service]] on the [[Northeast Corridor]], further improving its finances.

In 1984, the government put its 85% share up for sale. Bids were received from [[Alleghany Corporation]], [[Citibank]], an [[Employee stock ownership|employee buyout]], [[Pan Am Systems|Guilford Transportation Industries]], [[Norfolk Southern Railway]] and a consortium headed by [[J. Willard Marriott]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1984/06/09/guilford-says-its-bid-for-conrail-is-best/ae725573-9825-4b9d-95ae-edb08214eb51/| title=Guilford says its bid for Conrail is best| newspaper=The Washington Post| date=June 9, 1984}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine| title=Conrail bidders down to three| magazine=Railway Gazette International| date=November 1984| page=836}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-01-14-mn-9748-story.html| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020104713/http://articles.latimes.com/1985-01-14/news/mn-9748_1_norfolk-southern| archive-date=October 20, 2016| title=Norfolk Rail Firm Favored as Conrail Buyer| agency=Associated Press| website=Los Angeles Times| date=January 14, 1985}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1985/02/18/65578/index.htm| title=The Great Conrail Sweepstakes| website=Fortune Magazine| date=February 18, 1985}}</ref> On February 8, 1985, [[United States Secretary of Transportation|Secretary of Transportation]] [[Elizabeth Dole]] announced Norfolk Southern Railway as the successful bidder.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-02-09-mn-4006-story.html| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020105029/http://articles.latimes.com/1985-02-09/news/mn-4006_1_norfolk-southern| archive-date=October 20, 2016| title=US Agrees to Sale of Conrail: But Norfolk Southern's Buy-Out is Opposed| first=Michael| last=Wines| website=Los Angeles Times| date=February 9, 1985}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine| title=Norfolk Southern named as Conrail buyer| magazine=Railway Gazette International| date=March 1985| page=158}}</ref>

After considerable debate in Congress, the Conrail Privatization Act of 1986 was signed into law by [[Ronald Reagan|President Reagan]] on October 21, 1986. However, in August 1986, Norfolk Southern had withdrawn its bid citing Congressional delays and taxation changes.<ref>{{cite magazine| title=NS withdraws Conrail bid| magazine=Railway Gazette International| date=October 1986| page=691}}</ref> The government decided that its interest in Conrail would then be sold by the then-largest [[initial public offering]] in US history.<ref>Conrail Privatization Act, Pub. L. 99–509, title IV, subtitle A (§&nbsp;4001 et seq.), Oct. 21, 1986, {{USStat|100|1892}}, {{USC|45|1301}} et seq.{{dead link|date=January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.conrail.com/history/| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610023609/http://www.conrail.com/history/| archive-date=June 10, 2015| website=Conrail| title=Brief History of Consolidated Rail Corporation}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine| title=Conrail goes on public sale| magazine=Railway Gazette International| date=December 1986| page=849}}</ref> The sale was effective from March 26, 1987, when Conrail's stock, worth $1.65 billion, was sold to private investors.<ref>{{cite news| title=85% U.S. Stake in Conrail Sold for $1.6 Billion| first=James| last=Sterngold| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/27/business/85-us-stake-in-conrail-sold-for-1.6-billion.html?scp=1&sq=conrail&st=nyt| url-access=subscription| newspaper=The New York Times| date=1987-03-27| access-date=17 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine| title=Conrail fetches $1.6bn in Wall Street sale| magazine=Railway Gazette International| date=May 1987| page=263}}</ref>

==== Passenger rail operations ====
Conrail inherited the [[commuter rail]] operations of its predecessor lines. It relinquished several during the 1970s, including the Erie [[Cleveland commuter rail#Erie|Cleveland–Youngstown]] service (discontinued in 1977), the Pennsylvania Railroad [[Calumet (train)|Chicago–Valparaiso]] service (transferred to [[Amtrak]] in 1979), and the services within the [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]] service district (transferred to the [[Boston and Maine Corporation|Boston and Maine Railroad]], under contract to the MBTA, in March 1977<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.transithistory.org/roster/MBTARouteHistory.pdf |title=Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district |last=Belcher |first=Jonathan |date=26 December 2015 |publisher=NETransit |access-date=26 February 2016}}</ref>). Pursuant to the ''Northeast Rail Service Act of 1981,'' Conrail operated the remainder until 1983 when these services were transferred to state or metropolitan transit authorities.<ref name="NERSA 1981">United States. Northeast Rail Service Act of 1981. (Title XI, Subtitle E of Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981.) {{USPL|97|35}} {{Usc-title-chap|45|20}}  {{USC|45|744a}} Approved 1981-08-13.</ref> The transit authorities purchased the track and right-of-way on which their commuter operations ran, leaving Conrail freight operations as a tenant.<ref>{{cite news |last=Feaver |first=Douglas B. |title=States Rush to Replace Conrail In Switch of Commuter Service |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/12/30/states-rush-to-replace-conrail-in-switch-of-commuter-service/9a16910a-61f8-46c0-9d7b-61c6f3681dcc/ |date=1982-12-30 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+Passenger services in September 1976,<ref>{{Cite book |publisher=National Railway Publication Company |title=The Official Railway Guide North American passenger travel edition: United States, Canada and Mexico September 1976 |date=September 1976 |pages=70–77, 80–88, 91, 97}}</ref> other "Suburban services" denoted with "(s)"<ref>{{Cite book |publisher=National Railway Publication Company |title=The Official Railway Guide North American passenger travel edition: United States, Canada and Mexico September 1976 |date=September 1976 |pages=102–108}}</ref>
!Locale
!Line
!Train / line names (1976)
!Predecessor company
!Final service
!Successor company
|-
| rowspan="17" |[[New York City]]
|[[Hudson Line (Metro-North)|New York–Poughkeepsie]]
|Hudson Line
| rowspan="2" |[[New York Central Railroad|New York Central]] ([[Penn Central Transportation Company|PC]])
| rowspan="16" |December 31, 1982
| rowspan="6" |[[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]]
|-
|[[Harlem Line|New York–Dover Plains]]
|Harlem Line
|-
|[[New Haven Line|New York–New Haven]]
|
| rowspan="4" |[[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad|New York, New Haven & Hartford]] ([[Penn Central Transportation Company|PC]])
|-
|[[New Canaan Branch|New York–New Canaan]] '''(s)'''
|
|-
|[[Danbury Branch|New York–Danbury]]
|
|-
|[[Waterbury Branch|New York–Waterbury]]
|
|-
|[[Port Jervis Line|Hoboken–Port Jervis]]
|Main Line / Bergen County Line
| rowspan="2" |[[Erie Lackawanna Railway|Erie Lackawanna]]
| rowspan="3" |[[NJ Transit]] /<br />[[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]]
|-
|[[Montclair-Boonton Line|Hoboken–Netcong]] '''(s)'''
|Boonton Line
|-
|[[Pascack Valley Line|Hoboken–Spring Valley]] '''(s)'''
|Pascack Valley Line
|[[Erie Railroad]] ([[Erie Lackawanna Railway|EL]])
|-
|[[Morristown Line|Hoboken–Dover]] '''(s)'''
|Morristown Line
| rowspan="3" |[[Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad|Delaware, Lackawanna & Western]] ([[Erie Lackawanna Railway|EL]])
| rowspan="7" |[[NJ Transit]]
|-
|[[Gladstone Branch|Hoboken–Gladstone]] '''(s)'''
|Gladstone Branch
|-
|[[Montclair-Boonton Line|Hoboken-Montclair]]
|Montclair Branch
|-
|[[Northeast Corridor Line|New York–Trenton]] '''(s)'''
|
| rowspan="2" |[[Pennsylvania Railroad]] ([[Penn Central Transportation Company|PC]])
|-
|[[Princeton Branch|Princeton Junction–Princeton]] '''(s)'''
|"Princeton Dinkey"
|-
|[[North Jersey Coast Line|New York–Bay Head]] '''(s)'''
|New York and Long Branch District
(North Jersey Coast Line as of 1978)
|[[Central Railroad of New Jersey|Central of New Jersey]] /<br />[[Pennsylvania Railroad]] ([[Penn Central Transportation Company|PC]])
|-
|[[Raritan Valley Line|Newark, NJ–Phillipsburg]] '''(s)'''
|CNJ District 
(Raritan Valley Line as of 1978)
''Western Hills Express'' (5703)
| rowspan="2" |[[Central Railroad of New Jersey|Central of New Jersey]]
|-
|Cranford–Bayonne '''(s)'''
|"Bayonne Scoot"
|August 6, 1978
|''discontinued''
|-
|[[Washington, D.C.]] / [[Baltimore]]
|[[Penn Line|Baltimore–Washington]] '''(s)'''
|
|[[Pennsylvania Railroad]] ([[Penn Central Transportation Company|PC]])
|December 31, 1982
|[[Amtrak]] ([[Maryland Department of Transportation|MDOT]])
|-
| rowspan="15" |[[Philadelphia]]
|[[Chestnut Hill West Line|Philadelphia–Chestnut Hill]] '''(s)'''
|(Chestnut Hill West as of October 1976)
| rowspan="6" |[[Pennsylvania Railroad]] ([[Penn Central Transportation Company|PC]])
| rowspan="10" |December 31, 1982
| rowspan="10" |[[SEPTA]]
|-
|[[Paoli/Thorndale Line|Philadelphia–Harrisburg]] '''(s)'''
|
|-
|[[Cynwyd Line|Philadelphia–Manayunk]] '''(s)'''
|
|-
|[[Wilmington/Newark Line|Philadelphia–Newark, DE]] '''(s)'''
|
|-
|[[Trenton Line|Philadelphia–Trenton]] '''(s)'''
|
|-
|[[Media/Wawa Line|Philadelphia–West Chester]] '''(s)'''
|
|-
|[[Chestnut Hill East Line|Philadelphia–Chestnut Hill]] '''(s)'''
|(Chestnut Hill East as of October 1976)
| rowspan="6" |[[Reading Company]]
|-
|[[Lansdale/Doylestown Line|Philadelphia–Doylestown]] '''(s)'''
|
|-
|[[Fox Chase Line|Philadelphia–Newtown]] '''(s)'''
|
|-
|[[Warminster Line|Philadelphia–Warminster]] '''(s)'''
|
|-
|[[Bethlehem Line|Philadelphia–Bethlehem]]
|
| rowspan="2" |July 26, 1981
| rowspan="2" |''discontinued''
|-
|[[Pottsville Line|Philadelphia–Pottsville]]
|
|-
|[[Atlantic City Line|Lindenwold–Atlantic City]]
|
| rowspan="3" |[[Pennsylvania Railroad]] /<br/>[[Reading Company]] ([[Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines|PRSL]])
|June 30, 1982
| rowspan="1" |[[NJ Transit]]
|-
|Lindenwold–Cape May
|
|September 13, 1981
| rowspan="2" |''discontinued''
|-
|Lindenwold–Ocean City
|
|August 13, 1981
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[New York City]] / [[Philadelphia]]
| rowspan="3" |[[New York Branch|Philadelphia–Newark, NJ]]
| rowspan="3" |[[Crusader (train)|''Crusader'']], ''Wall Street''
|[[Reading Company]]
|December 31, 1982<br/>(Philadelphia–West Trenton)
|[[SEPTA]]
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[Central Railroad of New Jersey|Central of New Jersey]] /<br />[[Reading Company]]
|December 3, 1982<br/>(West Trenton–Newark, NJ)
|''discontinued''
|-
|July 30, 1981 (''Crusader'' and ''Wall Street'')
|''discontinued''
|-
|[[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]
|Buffalo–Welland<ref>{{Cite book |publisher=National Railway Publication Company |title=The Official Railway Guide North American passenger travel edition: United States, Canada and Mexico September 1976 |date=September 1976 |pages=158}}</ref>
|[[Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway]]
|[[New York Central Railroad|New York Central]] ([[Penn Central Transportation Company|PC]])<br />
|April 25, 1981
|''discontinued''
|-
|[[Chicago]]
|[[Calumet (train)|Chicago–Valparaiso]]
|
|[[Pennsylvania Railroad]] ([[Penn Central Transportation Company|PC]])
|October 29, 1979
|[[Amtrak]]
|-
| rowspan="5" |[[Boston]]
|[[Franklin Line|Boston–Franklin]] '''(s)'''
|
| rowspan="4" |[[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad|New York, New Haven & Hartford]] ([[Penn Central Transportation Company|PC]])
| rowspan="5" |<!-- March 12, 1977 de facto-->June 30, 1977
| rowspan="5" |[[Boston and Maine Corporation|Boston & Maine]] / [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority|MBTA]]
|-
|[[Needham Line|Boston–Needham]] '''(s)'''
|
|-
|[[Providence/Stoughton Line|Boston–Providence]] '''(s)'''
|
|-
|[[Providence/Stoughton Line|Boston–Stoughton]] '''(s)'''
|
|-
|[[Framingham/Worcester Line|Boston–Framingham]] '''(s)'''
|
|[[New York Central Railroad|New York Central]] ([[Penn Central Transportation Company|PC]])
|-
|[[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]]
|Providence–Westerly
|
|[[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad|New York, New Haven & Hartford]] ([[Penn Central Transportation Company|PC]])
|June 3, 1977
| rowspan="2" ''discontinued'' |''discontinued''
|-
|[[Cleveland]]
|[[Cleveland commuter rail#Erie|Cleveland–Youngstown]]
|
|[[Erie Railroad]] ([[Erie Lackawanna Railway|EL]])
|January 14, 1977
|}

=== Breakup: 1997–1999 ===
With Conrail's increasing success, it decided to merge the company with another railroad, so it approached CSX Transportation about buying Conrail. CSX's bid for Conrail, however, drew the attention of [[Norfolk Southern Railway]] which,  fearing that CSX would come to dominate rail traffic in the eastern US, made a bid of its own leading to a [[takeover]] battle between the two railroads. In 1997, however, the two railroads struck a compromise agreement to jointly acquire Conrail<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-10-13 |title=Michigan's Railroad History 1825 - 2014 |url=https://www.michigan.gov/-/media/Project/Websites/MDOT/Travel/Mobility/Rail/Michigan-Railroad-History.pdf?rev=0e687838f8a540ae823113f2648e9015 |access-date=2024-04-29 |website=Michigan Department of Transportation}}</ref> and split most of its assets between them, with Norfolk Southern acquiring a larger portion of the Conrail network via a larger stock buyout.<ref>{{cite magazine| title=NS and CSX agree to Conrail carve-up| magazine=Railway Gazette International| date=May 1997| page=271}}</ref> Under the final agreement approved by the [[Surface Transportation Board]], Norfolk Southern acquired 58 percent of Conrail's assets, including roughly 6,000 Conrail route miles, and CSX received 42 percent of Conrail's assets, including about 3,600 route miles.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/01/business/conrail-chugs-off-into-the-sunset-csx-and-norfolk-southern-take-over.html| url-access=subscription| title=Conrail Chugs Off Into the Sunset; CSX and Norfolk Southern Take Over| date=1 June 1999| work=The New York Times}}</ref>

The buyout was approved by the Surface Transportation Board (STB) (successor agency to the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)) and took place on August 22, 1998. Under the control of lawyer-turned-CEO [[Tim O'Toole (businessman)|Tim O'Toole]], the lines were transferred to two newly formed [[Limited liability company|limited liability companies]], to be subsidiaries of Conrail but leased to CSX and Norfolk Southern, respectively [[New York Central Lines LLC|New York Central Lines]] (NYC) and [[Pennsylvania Lines LLC|Pennsylvania Lines]] (PRR). The NYC and PRR [[reporting mark]]s, which had passed to Conrail, were also transferred to the new companies, and NS also acquired the CR reporting mark. Operations under CSX and NS began on June 1, 1999, bringing Conrail's 23-year existence to an end.<ref name="EuDaly-2009-72">{{harvnb|EuDaly|Schafer|Jessup|Boyd|2009|p=72}}</ref>

As the names indicated, CSX acquired the former [[New York Central Railroad]] main line from [[New York City]] and [[Boston|Boston, Massachusetts]], to [[Cleveland|Cleveland, Ohio]], and the former [[Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway]] (NYC Big Four) line to [[Indianapolis|Indianapolis, Indiana]] (continuing west to [[East St. Louis, Illinois]]) on a former [[Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad]] (PRR Panhandle Route line), while Norfolk Southern got the former [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] main line and [[Cleveland Line (Norfolk Southern)|Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad]] from [[Jersey City, New Jersey]], to Cleveland, and the rest of the former NYC main line west to [[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]]. Thus the Conrail "X" was neatly split in two, CSX getting one diagonal from Boston to St. Louis and Norfolk Southern the other from New York to Chicago. The two lines cross at a bridge southeast of downtown Cleveland ({{Coord|41.447|N|81.627|W|}}), where the former Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad crosses over the NYC's former [[Cleveland Short Line Railway]] around the south side of Cleveland.
[[File:NS_Mt_Holly_Branch_Line_at_Mt_Laurel.jpg|thumb|Conrail Shared Assets is jointly owned by CSX and NS, and uses locomotives from both companies]]
In three major metropolitan areas – North Jersey, South Jersey/Philadelphia, and Detroit – [[Conrail Shared Assets Operations]] continues to serve as a terminal operating company owned by both CSX and NS. The Conrail Shared Assets Operations arrangement was a concession made to federal regulators who were concerned about the lack of competition in certain rail markets and logistical problems associated with the breaking-up of Conrail operations as they existed in densely populated areas with many local customers. The smaller Conrail operation that exists today serves rail freight customers in these markets on behalf of its two owners. A fourth area, the former [[Monongahela Railway]] in southwest [[Pennsylvania]], was originally owned jointly by the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]], [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] and [[Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad]]. Conrail absorbed the company in 1993, and assigned [[Arrangements between railroads|trackage rights]] to CSX, the successor to the B&O and P&LE. With the Conrail breakup, those lines are owned by NS, but the CSX trackage rights are still in place.

== Locomotives ==
[[File:CR 6114 1993, Altoona, Pennsylvania.jpg|thumb|right|Conrail 6114, a [[GE Dash 8-40CW]], leads a train westbound out of [[Altoona, Pennsylvania]].]]
[[File:Conrail GP40 3209 at Ducannon, PA (25175006459).jpg|thumb|A Conrail train led by [[EMD GP40]] 3209 at [[Duncannon, Pennsylvania]] ]]
Since Conrail was divided between [[Norfolk Southern Railway]] and [[CSX Transportation]] in 1999, all remaining locomotives have been successively repainted, and many remain in service. CR units had unique features such as "Bright Future" blue paint, flashing ditch lights, and Leslie RS-3L horns. Another key spotting feature is ditch lights mounted under the locomotive's front deck. This is a preference different from Norfolk Southern and CSX, which order locomotives with the lights above the deck. Red marker lights (not class lights, which are multi-color) were also a preference of Conrail. Most locomotives that went to CSX retained their marker lights, while Norfolk Southern quickly removed them. All Conrail locomotives that went to CSX and NS have been either retired or repainted. The last unit to wear "Conrail Blue", NS 8312, was retired in 2014.<ref name="nsdash9.com">{{Cite web |title=Norfolk Southern - Former Conrail Locomotive Roster |url=http://www.nsdash9.com/crrepaints.html |access-date=2022-03-26 |website=www.nsdash9.com}}</ref>

Conrail was the only railroad to receive [[EMD SD80MAC]]s (an order from the [[Chicago and North Western Transportation Company|Chicago & North Western]] was cancelled when that company merged with [[Union Pacific Railroad|Union Pacific]]) and were separated evenly between CSX and NS. Conrail had a different paint scheme for these locomotives and also the [[EMD SD70 series|SD70MAC]], with a large white, cone-shaped line on the front, bearing "Conrail Quality" lettering. The SD70MACs were not fitted with marker lights,<ref>{{Cite web |title=CR 4137 at North East, Pa. 10/2/98 on The CRHS's Conrail Photo Archive |url=https://conrailphotos.thecrhs.org/photos/cr-4137-at-north-east-pa-10298 |access-date=2022-03-26 |website=The CRHS's Conrail Photo Archive |date=October 2, 1998 |language=en}}</ref> as they were ordered after the Conrail breakup was agreed upon, and neither NS or CSX wanted 'their' locomotives to be equipped with markers. Similarly, the standard-cab SD70, Conrail's final order of locomotives, were ordered to NS specifications, and were in Norfolk Southern's preferred numbering series (the 2500's), which they retained after the breakup.<ref name="nsdash9.com"/>

== Signals ==
[[File:NS Buffalo-Line-Signal-304-3042-APPROACH.jpg|thumb|left|PRR [[North American railroad signals#Position light signals|position light signal]]]]
When Conrail was formed, it acquired many different railways, and as typical in the North American rail industry, signaling was not standardized between these railways. This caused problems for Conrail, which had to "qualify" train crews on as many as seven different signaling systems and operating rules. The varying systems included the PRR [[North American railroad signals#Position light signals|position light signals]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Conrail RoadRailer trains |url=https://akronrrclub.wordpress.com/tag/conrail-roadrailer-trains/ |access-date=2022-03-26 |website=akronrrclub.wordpress.com |language=en}}</ref> the NYC [[North American railroad signals#Searchlight signals|searchlight signals]] and tri-light signals,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-01-03 |title=Memories of Winter Railfanning at Berea |url=https://akronrrclub.wordpress.com/2015/01/03/memories-of-winter-railfanning-at-berea/ |access-date=2022-03-26 |language=en}}</ref> and the EL tri-light and semaphore signals.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Conrail's Southern Tier Line on The CRHS's Conrail Photo Archive |url=https://conrailphotos.thecrhs.org/galleries/conrails-southern-tier-line |access-date=2022-03-26 |website=conrailphotos.thecrhs.org |language=en}}</ref>

Conrail, and other eastern railroads which required multiple operating rules, came up with a standardized rulebook called [[Northeast Operating Rules Advisory Committee]] (NORAC). This significantly increased operational flexibly, allowing crews to operate on any territory they were qualified on, instead of additionally needing multiple operating rules qualifications. Additionally, standardized signal rules allowed Conrail to standardize signaling hardware and operation across its system.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mike |first=Jersey |date=2014-07-19 |title=The Position Light: Better Know a Signaling System - NORAC |url=http://position-light.blogspot.com/2014/07/better-know-signaling-system-norac.html |access-date=2022-03-26 |website=The Position Light}}</ref>

In the early years of Conrail, the NYC "small-back" searchlight was adopted as the systemwide standard for new signal installations and replacements. The standard signal was quickly changed to the NYC tri-light.<ref>{{Cite web |title="Tri-Light" Railroad Signals |url=https://railroadsignals.us/signals/trilights/index.htm |access-date=2022-03-26 |website=railroadsignals.us}}</ref> This move was done to decrease maintenance requirements, as searchlight signals need moving parts to switch between colors, unlike tri-lights, which have individual lamps. Many signals from previous railroads were re-used though, as new signaling hardware was expensive, and Conrail faced financial difficulty.

As mentioned above, significant projects took place to reduce trackage, oftentimes removing double-track with automatic block signals in favor of single track with [[centralized traffic control]] (CTC). Conrail also installed CTC across much of the former PRR multi-track mainline, which had relied on local towers to operate signals and control track. Conrail spent its entire existence installing tri-light signals (using NORAC rules) across much of its system. Many Conrail-installed signaling locations were removed in the 2010s, as railroads upgraded their signals for [[Positive train control|Positive Train Control]] compliance.

Today, most Northeastern railroads associated with former Conrail lines have maintained standardization of all systems as [[North American railroad signals#Vertical color light signals|vertical color light signals]] using NORAC rules. Conrail Shared Assets Operations continues to use the tri-light as its standard signal type. Amtrak uses a colorized version of PRR position light signals called "Position Color Lights".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mike |first=Jersey |date=2015-09-07 |title=The Position Light: Better Know a Signaling System: Amtrak "CPLs" |url=http://position-light.blogspot.com/2015/09/better-know-signaling-system-amtrak-cpls.html |access-date=2022-03-26 |website=The Position Light}}</ref>{{clear left}}

== Preservation ==
{{Infobox organization
| name                     = The Conrail Historical Society, Inc.
| logo                     = 
| type                     = [[501(c) organization#501(c)(3)|501(c)(3)]]
| founded_date             = 1995
| founder                  = 
| location                 = [[Shippensburg, Pennsylvania]]
| origins                  = 
| key_people               = 
| area_served              = 
| product                  = 
| focus                    = 
| method                   = 
| revenue                  = 
| endowment                = 
| num_volunteers           = 
| num_employees            = 
| num_members              = 400+
| subsid                   = 
| owner                    = 
| Non-profit_slogan        = 
| homepage                 = [http://thecrhs.org/ www.thecrhs.org]
| dissolved                = 
| footnotes                = 
}}

The Conrail Historical Society, Inc., is a [[501(c) organization#501(c)(3)|501(c)(3)]] [[Nonprofit organization|non-profit]] organization based in [[Shippensburg, Pennsylvania]]. The society aims to preserve and restore equipment, items pertaining to, and photographs of Conrail specifically and of American railroading in general. As of 2022, the group publishes a quarterly magazine and a calendar, as well as other occasional mailings. Previous conventions have been held in [[Altoona, Pennsylvania]], [[Philadelphia]], [[Cleveland]], and [[Warren, Ohio]]. More recent preservation activities include completion of the cosmetic restoration of N7E caboose 21165 and a partnership with the B&O Railroad Museum to restore its ex-Conrail [[EMD SW7|SW7]] 8905.

The CRHS owns four pieces of on-track equipment: 86-foot boxcar 243880 (currently under development into a stand-alone Conrail museum), [[caboose]]s 21165 and 22130, and former Triple Crown RoadRailer TCSZ 463491.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.thecrhs.org/equipment| website=Conrail Historical Society| title=Equipment Preservation}}</ref> A preserved Conrail ex-PRR [[EMD GP30|GP30]] is on display at the [[Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania]].

=== Heritage units ===
To mark its 30th anniversary, Norfolk Southern painted 20 new locomotives with the paint schemes of predecessor railroads. The first, on March 15, 2012, was [[GE Evolution Series#ES44AC (2003–present) |GE ES44AC]] #8098 in Conrail blue with the "can opener" logo.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.nscorp.com/content/nscorp/en/the-norfolk-southern-story/heritage-locomotives.html| title=Heritage Locomotives| website=Norfolk Southern}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.nscorp.com/content/nscorp/en/news/norfolk-southernsheritagelocomotives.html| title=Norfolk Southern Heritage Locomotives| website=Norfolk Southern| access-date=October 20, 2016| archive-date=July 28, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728154956/http://www.nscorp.com/content/nscorp/en/news/norfolk-southernsheritagelocomotives.html| url-status=dead}}</ref>

In July 2023, CSX unveiled [[GE Evolution Series|GE ES44AH]] unit #1976, which was repainted at the CSX shops in [[Waycross, GA|Waycross]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|GA]] with a CSX dark blue and yellow color scheme on the front (nose) and cab of the locomotive, and the light blue Conrail scheme with the Conrail Quality logo throughout the rest of the locomotive. It was numbered #1976 in homage to the year of Conrail's creation.<ref>[https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/csx-debuts-conrail-heritage-unit-the-fourth-in-a-series/ "CSX debuts Conrail heritage unit, the fourth in a series"] (20 July 2023). ''[[trains.com]] Trains Magazine''. Retrieved 20 July 2023.</ref>

In August 2023, [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority|MTA]] [[Metro–North Railroad]] unveiled locomotive #201, a [[GE Transportation|GE]] [[GE Genesis#P32AC-DM|P32AC-DM]], wrapped in a yellow and blue scheme worn by Conrail's [[EMD FL9]] units between 1976 and 1982.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-12 |title=News photos: Metro-North introduces second heritage locomotive, honoring Conrail |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/news-photos-metro-north-introduces-second-heritage-locomotive-honoring-conrail/ |access-date=2023-08-12 |website=Trains |language=en-US}}</ref>

In May 2024, [[SEPTA]] unveiled [[Silverliner IV]] #304 with a heritage Conrail logo as part of their celebration of the Silverliner IV cars' 50th anniversary. SEPTA stated that several of their [[Reading Railroad]]-acquired Silverliner IVs wore a Conrail logo from 1976 to 1981.

In October 2024, [[NJ Transit Rail Operations|New Jersey Transit]] unveiled [[EMD GP40-based passenger locomotives|EMD GP40PH-2B]] #4208 in Conrail blue with the "can opener" logo, similar to Norfolk Southern #8098. NJT stated that Conrail was the predecessor to NJ Transit Rail Operations and that many of the original lines, stations and rolling stock were inherited from Conrail in 1983.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-06 |title=News photo: NJ Transit's newest heritage unit |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/news-photo-nj-transits-newest-heritage-unit/ |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=Trains |language=en-US}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Trains}}
*[[List of defunct railroads of North America|Defunct railroads of North America]]
*[[History of rail transportation in the United States]]
*[[List of companies transferred to Conrail]]
*[[Railroad Development Corporation]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}
* {{cite book |title=History of the Pennsylvania Railroad |last=Jacobs |first=Timothy |year=1996 |publisher=Smithmark |location=New York |isbn=0-517-63351-5 }}
* {{cite web| url=http://www.prrths.com/PRR_hagley_intro.htm| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060101162313/http://www.prrths.com/PRR_hagley_intro.htm| archive-date=January 1, 2006| title=PRR Chronology| first=Christopher T.| last=Baer| website= Pennsylvania Technical and Historical Society}}
* {{Complete Book of North American Railroading|display-authors=2}}
* {{cite magazine| first=H. Roger| last=Grant| title=Life and death of Erie Lackawanna| magazine=[[Trains (magazine)|Trains]]| date=February 1992}}
* {{cite magazine| first1=Bill| last1=Stephens| first2=Craig| last2=Sanders| title=Cleveland: center of controversy| magazine=Trains| date=July 1998}}
* {{cite book |title=American Railroads |last=Stover |first=John F. |year=1997 |edition = 2nd |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |isbn=978-0-226-77658-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R4vjgmic44QC| via=Google Books}}
* {{cite book |title=Conrail, The Final Years: 1992–1997 |last=Withers |first=Paul |year=1997 |publisher=Withers Publishing |location=Halifax, PA |isbn=978-1-881411-15-4 }}
* {{cite web|title=A Brief History of Conrail |publisher=Consolidated Rail Corporation |year=2003 |url=http://www.conrail.com/history.htm |access-date=2011-02-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121075513/http://conrail.com/history.htm |archive-date=2010-11-21 }}

==Further reading==
*{{cite web |url=http://stb.dot.gov/Decisions/readingroom.nsf/402b4e9fcad7829285256f7b006f787a/11ad450113a64dea8525663c004c5641?OpenDocument |title=CSX Corporation and CSX Transportation Inc., Norfolk Southern Corporation and Norfolk Southern Railway Corporation--Control and Operating Lease/Agreements--Conrail Inc. and Consolidated Rail Corporation |date=July 23, 1998 |publisher=[[Surface Transportation Board]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060425191833/http://stb.dot.gov/Decisions/readingroom.nsf/402b4e9fcad7829285256f7b006f787a/11ad450113a64dea8525663c004c5641?OpenDocument |archive-date=2006-04-25}}

== External links ==
{{commons}}
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990427224755/http://conrail.com:80/ |date=April 27, 1999 |title=Official website}}
*[https://www.thecrhs.org/ The Conrail Historical Society]
*The [http://findingaids.hagley.org/xtf/view?docId=ead/2379.xml Special Court Reporter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807201455/http://findingaids.hagley.org/xtf/view?docId=ead%2F2379.xml |date=August 7, 2020 }} available at [[Hagley Museum and Library]] constitutes a step-by-step account of the Special Court's proceedings and the playing out of the final stages of railroad reorganization in the Northeast.

{{Former Class I|state=collapsed}}
{{MBTA|state=collapsed}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Conrail| ]]
[[Category:Corporations chartered by the United States Congress]]
[[Category:CSX Transportation]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in Pennsylvania]]
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[[Category:Defunct Delaware railroads]]
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[[Category:Defunct Missouri railroads]]
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[[Category:Predecessors of CSX Transportation]]
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[[Category:Railway companies established in 1974]]
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[[Category:1976 establishments in the United States]]
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