PHILADELPHIA | 30th Street Station District | 1,200 FT - 180 FT | 85 - 12 FLOORS

[Nova08]

Fundamentally though...who pays? CSX isn't paying when they have a system that works today.

1.) The High Line was originally 2 tracks, the entire length.

2.) The east bank line provides access to the NEC where a freight track parallels to Frankford Junction and then diverges to cross the Delaware. If you take away the east side line completely, you need to follow with new connections in one of these fantasy diagrams. Though you can still keep that connection and eliminate the remaining track into center city

3.) Forgotten Bottom yard = CSX East Side Yard. East side yard was never a major yard and simply not big enough to substantially relieve Greenwich Yard next to the Navy Yard. And FWIW, the current Greenwich yard is about half the size it was back in the PRR days. East side yard is essentially land locked so it cannot be drastically expanded. Trains out of Greenwich yard are regularly 100-200 cars long.

4.) There are sections of single track on the CSX line both north and south of center city (Darby to Chester & along the West Trenton line). If you notice trains just sitting on the east bank tracks by the trail, occasionally this is a result of "staging" trains that are waiting for the tracks ahead to clear. Eliminate the east bank tracks and CSX loses this flexibility.

5.) A bit irrelevant, but worth noting on these fantasy diagrams. Conrail uses the Septa airport line tracks from 61st St. to where the airport line diverges up the bridge to the airport. These tracks are the Chester Secondary and head to Chester and a few of the remaining refineries along the river.