Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 14, 1993 TAG: 9307140207
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LEIGH ALLEN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Norfolk Southern Corp. executives have been forced to reroute trains because track is under water and bridges over swollen rivers have been closed.
Flood waters have cut off Norfolk Southern's major east-west route between Decatur, Ill., and Kansas City, Mo. That route normally carries a third of the company's rail traffic, said NS spokesman Rob Chapman.
Tracks near Hannibal, Mo., are under about 12 feet of water, said John Hark of the Hannibal Emergency Management Agency. The river there will crest today at 16 feet above flood stage and is not expected to recede anytime soon.
Chapman reported delays of about three days as railroads in the Midwest reroute most of their trains through Memphis, Tenn., south of the flooded area.
A normal trip from Decatur to Kansas City is 298 miles by rail. The detour through Memphis is 912 miles. Congestion caused by the increase in traffic through Memphis is aggravating the delays.
Chapman said grain, automobiles, retail merchandise and construction materials are the most frequent cargo hauled along that route. He said businesses that rely on Norfolk Southern to carry their material have not yet reported shortages.
Chapman couldn't estimate how much the flood was costing the Norfolk-based company, because the waters has not yet receded. Tracks and bridges, some of which are closed, may have suffered structural damage that will need repair after the flood is gone.
"It's safe to say this is increasing our costs. How we will handle that or how that will affect our customers, I don't know," Chapman said.
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