-----BEGIN PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE----- Proc-Type: 2001,MIC-CLEAR Originator-Name: webmaster@www.sec.gov Originator-Key-Asymmetric: MFgwCgYEVQgBAQICAf8DSgAwRwJAW2sNKK9AVtBzYZmr6aGjlWyK3XmZv3dTINen TWSM7vrzLADbmYQaionwg5sDW3P6oaM5D3tdezXMm7z1T+B+twIDAQAB MIC-Info: RSA-MD5,RSA, V3yVMQW4nyzXdzLiX9VAyM2/jZwdTl2mBcd+EsgFpfn+CAQ+egYeDLjNFuz3ljOX A0++D2ctxOnYIn+INMFnXA== 0000950172-97-000148.txt : 19970225 0000950172-97-000148.hdr.sgml : 19970225 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0000950172-97-000148 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: SC 14D1/A PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 3 FILED AS OF DATE: 19970224 SROS: NYSE GROUP MEMBERS: ATLANTIC ACQUISITION CORPORATION GROUP MEMBERS: NORFOLK SOUTHERN CORP SUBJECT COMPANY: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: CONRAIL INC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000897732 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: RAILROADS, LINE-HAUL OPERATING [4011] IRS NUMBER: 232728514 STATE OF INCORPORATION: PA FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: SC 13D/A SEC ACT: 1934 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 005-42777 FILM NUMBER: 97542388 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: TWO COMMERCE SQ STREET 2: P O BOX 41417 CITY: PHILADELPHIA STATE: PA ZIP: 19101-1417 BUSINESS PHONE: 2152094434 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: P.O. BOX 41429 STREET 2: 2001 MARKET STREET CITY: PHILADELPHIA STATE: PA ZIP: 19101-1429 SUBJECT COMPANY: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: CONRAIL INC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000897732 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: RAILROADS, LINE-HAUL OPERATING [4011] IRS NUMBER: 232728514 STATE OF INCORPORATION: PA FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: SC 14D1/A SEC ACT: 1934 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 005-42777 FILM NUMBER: 97542389 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: TWO COMMERCE SQ STREET 2: P O BOX 41417 CITY: PHILADELPHIA STATE: PA ZIP: 19101-1417 BUSINESS PHONE: 2152094434 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: P.O. BOX 41429 STREET 2: 2001 MARKET STREET CITY: PHILADELPHIA STATE: PA ZIP: 19101-1429 FILED BY: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: NORFOLK SOUTHERN CORP CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000702165 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: RAILROADS, LINE-HAUL OPERATING [4011] IRS NUMBER: 521188014 STATE OF INCORPORATION: VA FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: SC 14D1/A BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: THREE COMMERCIAL PL CITY: NORFOLK STATE: VA ZIP: 23510-2191 BUSINESS PHONE: 8046292680 FILED BY: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: NORFOLK SOUTHERN CORP CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000702165 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: RAILROADS, LINE-HAUL OPERATING [4011] IRS NUMBER: 521188014 STATE OF INCORPORATION: VA FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: SC 14D1/A BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: THREE COMMERCIAL PL CITY: NORFOLK STATE: VA ZIP: 23510-2191 BUSINESS PHONE: 8046292680 SC 14D1/A 1 SCHEDULE 14D1 AMENDMENT NO. 3 SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 SCHEDULE 14D-1 (AMENDMENT NO. 3) TENDER OFFER STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(D)(1) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 AND SCHEDULE 13D (AMENDMENT NO. 5) CONRAIL INC. (Name of Subject Company) NORFOLK SOUTHERN CORPORATION ATLANTIC ACQUISITION CORPORATION (Bidders) COMMON STOCK, PAR VALUE $1.00 PER SHARE (INCLUDING THE ASSOCIATED COMMON STOCK PURCHASE RIGHTS) (Title of Class of Securities) 208368 10 0 (CUSIP Number of Class of Securities) SERIES A ESOP CONVERTIBLE JUNIOR PREFERRED STOCK, WITHOUT PAR VALUE (INCLUDING THE ASSOCIATED COMMON STOCK PURCHASE RIGHTS) (Title of Class of Securities) NOT AVAILABLE (CUSIP Number of Class of Securities) JAMES C. BISHOP, JR. EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT-LAW NORFOLK SOUTHERN CORPORATION THREE COMMERCIAL PLACE NORFOLK, VIRGINIA 23510-2191 TELEPHONE: (757) 629-2750 (Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person Authorized to Receive Notices and Communications on Behalf of Bidder) with a copy to: RANDALL H. DOUD, ESQ. SKADDEN, ARPS, SLATE, MEAGHER & FLOM LLP 919 THIRD AVENUE NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10022 TELEPHONE: (212) 735-3000 This Amendment amends the combined Tender Offer Statement on Schedule 14D-1 initially filed on February 12, 1997, as amended, and the Schedule 13D initially filed on February 5, 1997, as amended (the "Combined Statement"), by Norfolk Southern Corporation, a Virginia corporation ("Parent"), and its wholly owned subsidiary, Atlantic Acquisition Corporation, a Pennsylvania corporation ("Purchaser"), relating to Purchaser's offer to purchase all outstanding shares of (i) Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share (the "Common Shares"), and (ii) Series A ESOP Convertible Junior Preferred Stock, without par value (the "ESOP Preferred Shares" and, together with the Common Shares, the "Shares"), of Conrail Inc. (the "Company"), including, in each case, the associated Common Stock Purchase Rights, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, dated February 12, 1997 (the "Offer to Purchase"), and in the related Letter of Transmittal (which, together constitute the "Second Offer"). Unless otherwise defined herein, all capitalized terms used herein shall have the respective meanings given such terms in the Offer to Purchase or the Combined Statement. ITEM 11. MATERIAL TO BE FILED AS EXHIBITS. Item 11 is hereby amended and supplemented by the following: (a)(10) Customer Letter dated October 28, 1996 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a)(12) to Parent's and Purchaser's Tender Offer Statement on Schedule 14D-1, dated October 24, 1996, as amended on October 30, 1996). (a)(11) Press Release issued by Parent on October 30, 1996, including Parent's Principles of Balanced Rail Competition (incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a)(13) to Parent's and Purchaser's Tender Offer Statement on Schedule 14D-1, dated October 24, 1996, as amended on October 30, 1996). (a)(12) Text of Testimony by James L. Granum, Vice President-Public Affairs of Parent, before the joint New Jersey Assembly Transportation and Communications Committee and Senate Transportation Committee on February 24, 1997. (a)(13) Text of Information which may be distributed to certain Company shareholders. SIGNATURE After due inquiry and to the best of its knowledge and belief, the undersigned certifies that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct. Dated: February 24, 1997 NORFOLK SOUTHERN CORPORATION By: /s/ JAMES C. BISHOP, JR. --------------------------- Name: James C. Bishop, Jr. Title: Executive Vice President-Law ATLANTIC ACQUISITION CORPORATION By: /s/ JAMES C. BISHOP, JR. ----------------------------- Name: James C. Bishop, Jr. Title: Vice President and General Counsel EXHIBIT INDEX Exhibit Number Description - ------- ----------- (a)(10) Customer Letter dated October 28, 1996 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a)(12) to Parent's and Purchaser's Tender Offer Statement on Schedule 14D-1, dated October 24, 1996, as amended on October 30, 1996). (a)(11) Press Release issued by Parent on October 30, 1996, including Parent's Principles of Balanced Rail Competition (incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a)(13) to Parent's and Purchaser's Tender Offer Statement on Schedule 14D-1, dated October 24, 1996, as amended on October 30, 1996). (a)(12) Text of Testimony by James L. Granum, Vice President-Public Affairs of Parent, before the joint New Jersey Assembly Transportation and Communications Committee and Senate Transportation Committee on February 24, 1997. (a)(13) Text of Information which may be distributed to certain Company shareholders. EX-99 2 EXHIBIT (A)(12) [Exhibit (a)(12)] TESTIMONY OF JAMES L. GRANUM REGARDING NORFOLK SOUTHERN CORPORATION'S PROPOSED ACQUISITION OF CONRAIL BEFORE THE JOINT PUBLIC HEARING SPONSORED BY THE NEW JERSEY ASSEMBLY TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE AND SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1997 Good morning, and thank you for this opportunity. My name is James L. Granum, Vice President, Public Affairs, for Norfolk Southern Corporation. I work out of Washington, D.C. Accompanying me today is Steve Eisenach, Director, Strategic Planning, from Norfolk Southern headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia; Jim Blaze, of the Kingsley Group of Marlton, New Jersey; and Roger Bodman, of Public Strategies/Impact of Trenton. Mr. Blaze and Mr. Bodman have been retained by Norfolk Southern to assist in our Conrail acquisition effort. I'd like to take this opportunity to accomplish three things. First, I want to tell you something about Norfolk Southern. Then, I'd like to inform you of the benefits of a Norfolk Southern merger with Conrail. Finally, I hope to persuade you to endorse Norfolk Southern's plan to open the State of New Jersey and the Port of New York/New Jersey to rail-to-rail competition. After that, we'll be glad to answer questions. Some basics about Norfolk Southern: We are the fourth largest freight railroad in the United States. We own more than 14,000 miles of track throughout the Midwest and Southeast. We haul anything that moves by rail, but primarily, coal, chemicals, automobiles, auto parts, grain, paper and construction materials. Importantly for New Jersey, we also move truck trailers and containers--known as intermodal freight--because it moves over more than one kind of transportation; trains and trucks, trains and ships. Norfolk Southern is known for running a 'mighty fine line,' to steal a line from an old song. We are the safest big railroad on the continent and have been for eight years running. Because of our proficient and dedicated employees, we win awards for service to our customers. We are admired by our peers: Fortune magazine just this month named Norfolk Southern "most admired" among large railroads--the second year in a row we've topped the list, and we ranked in the top ten percent of all 431 companies in the Fortune survey. And, we make money for our shareholders. We grossed $4.8 billion in 1996 and brought $770 million down to the bottom line. We are proud that we have the lowest ratio of operating expenses to revenue of all the major railroads, which enables us to maintain and reinvest in our railroad at higher levels than others in the industry. Norfolk Southern achieved these outstanding financial results operating in a fiercely competitive environment. That's why Norfolk Southern, which has demonstrated its willingness and ability to compete, vigorously opposes a merger of Conrail with CSX, our strongest and larger rail competitor. Conrail's neutrality and independence will vanish, and we will find ourselves shut out of the Northeast, from Baltimore to Boston. That is because our tracks do not go north of Alexandria, Virginia or Hagerstown, Maryland. We depend on Conrail to move our customers' freight into the Northeast. As an independent railroad, Conrail has historically operated as a neutral carrier, serving as a joint line partner equally well between Norfolk Southern or CSX. Good or bad, Conrail provides comparable service to all connecting railroads that want to reach the Northeast, where Conrail is the sole large major railroad. But Conrail is gone; there is no status quo. CSX/Conrail is not Conrail. Why should you care that Conrail's past neutrality would terminate under a CSX/Conrail deal? Because competition benefits you, and a lack of it hurts you. In practice, Conrail has only minimal rail competition in New Jersey and in the New York/New Jersey Port area today. Is it a coincidence that economic development in New Jersey has stagnated under twenty years of Conrail dominance? If Conrail and CSX combine, then Conrail's lock on the region will intensify. CSX and Conrail will tell you that they will offer single-system service to more places and that they will be more efficient than an independent Conrail. They may even suggest that by introducing competition to New Jersey as Norfolk Southern proposes, railroad costs will go up and rates will increase. If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you. In the absence of competition, a beneficial monopoly is rarer than a benevolent dictatorship. Which would you trust more to ensure competitive rates and services? CSX promises or the marketplace? They also say that rail-to-rail competition is not important. Maybe that's because Conrail has not experienced rail-to-rail competition before--only truck. While CSX claims that its acquisition of Conrail will take trucks off highways, CSXT's record does not support the rhetoric. Since 1988, when both CSXT and Norfolk Southern began serious intermodal initiatives, Norfolk Southern intermodal traffic grew 94 percent--more than double the industry growth rate. During the same period CSXT intermodal traffic was flat and trailed industry growth, while Conrail intermodal growth only tracked the industry average with a 43 percent gain. Who do you want leading the charge to relieve highway truck congestion into and out of New Jersey? Last year we handled 59,000 units for one trucking company alone. Norfolk Southern has the best record of intermodal growth and terminal investment to support customer requirements. New Jersey is part of the largest consumer market in the United States. The Port of New York/New Jersey, the largest East Coast container port, is the first call in the eastern U.S. for most North Atlantic shipping lines. All other major U.S. East Coast ports are served by two competing major railroads, but the Port of New York and New Jersey does not enjoy this advantage. Knowing how competitive ports are with each other and how much public investment there is in their facilities, can the Port afford to be captive to one railroad while the competition--such as Hampton Roads--continues to be served by two? Norfolk Southern wants to merge with Conrail. In fact, we've been wanting to join up with them longer than anyone. We like to say: Why Not the Best? If Conrail is going to be sold, we offer a better deal, a better plan, less route overlap, and will execute a better merger. We have offered Conrail's owners the best financial terms--$115 a share, all cash, for all shares. Approximately two-thirds of Conrail's shareholders endorsed the Norfolk Southern offer with their January rejection of the Conrail/CSX deal; twenty-nine percent of Conrail's employee plan shares voted against the CSX deal. Even so, Conrail's board continues to reject our superior offer. Thankfully for all of us, federal regulators--the Surface Transportation Board--ultimately will decide who will merge with whom. The Board is charged by law with advancing the national transportation policy. It represents the public interest. We intend to file an application with the Board in April seeking permission to merge with Conrail. We believe that a Conrail-Norfolk Southern merger will prevail at the Surface Transportation Board because it preserves two-railroad competition to all major markets in the Northeast, restores rail competition to New Jersey for the first time in twenty years, and assures that the competitive balance that has been achieved among major Western railroads will also be achieved in the Eastern United States. Norfolk Southern's is the only plan that will introduce another major rail carrier into the region over owned routes and with access to owned terminals. The Norfolk Southern plan will implement the vision of competitive rail service in New Jersey and the entire Northeast and Mid Atlantic Region intended by Congress and the United States Railway Association planners in the 1970s when Conrail was originally created. Our offer is clearly in the public interest. Here are some of the things a Conrail-Norfolk Southern combination can do for New Jersey and why we hope the State will endorse our acquisition effort. Conrail plus Norfolk Southern will: o Open the Port area between Conrail's Port Reading and Croxton Yards, roughly between Woodbridge and Secaucus, to another Class I carrier. This includes competitive access to rail stations and customers within that terminal area, direct access to Port Newark and Port Elizabeth; and connections to all Port-area short lines. The new competitor will also have exclusive ownership of Conrail's Croxton intermodal terminal and the ability to build an automobile or other terminal on its own property. o Extend single-line service for the first time from New Jersey west to Kansas City, where Conrail plus Norfolk Southern will connect with all western railroads. This will supplement Conrail's existing Chicago to St. Louis service. o Serve New Jersey with expanded RoadRailer(R) service to southern and midwestern destinations. o Provide shorter, faster, north-south double-stack routes via Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Hagerstown, Maryland and east-west routes via Kansas City, Chicago, and St. Louis. o Clear the Pattenburg tunnel to provide for a new double stack route between Harrisburg and Newark via Allentown. Conrail has repeatedly refused to make the necessary tunnel improvements because the Canadian Pacific has rights over that route, and Conrail has sought to protect its own double-stack stranglehold on the Port. o Introduce another rail competitor for the New York/New Jersey automobile distribution market. o Bring to New Jersey communities the benefits of the consistently aggressive and successful Norfolk Southern Industrial Development Department. Norfolk Southern's economic development efforts, in conjunction with the states and communities it serves, located 8 of the last 11 new auto assembly plants--including BMW and Mercedes Benz--on Norfolk Southern lines. Major industries today require access by two railroads when making site selection decisions. The Norfolk Southern plan will help New Jersey create new jobs through economic development. o Introduce New Jersey citizens to a company that prides itself on being a good corporate citizen, is proud of its heritage, recognizes and honors the rich heritage of Conrail and its predecessor companies, and salutes the pride New Jersey has in its own rich railroad past as the gateway from which countless immigrants left Ellis Island and ventured off via the iron horse to begin a new life. To that end, we are aware of efforts to establish a railroad Heritage Foundation in the State, and while I cannot make any promises here today, we are at least willing to consider what role we can play in promoting that effort. But please bear in mind that we will never lose sight of our number one objective to provide safe, customer-focused, and competitive freight rail service. Our proposed merger should have little impact on New Jersey employees. Since there is no Norfolk Southern and Conrail overlap in New Jersey, there are no redundant yards, no redundant terminals and no redundant diesel shops. Nor redundant workers. In the front of the gray folders we distributed, you will find a single sheet titled "Principles of Balanced Rail Competition." This is Norfolk Southern's written commitment that, by merging with Conrail, we will make sure that the largest markets, including New Jersey, will be served by two large railroads. Norfolk Southern has met repeatedly with representatives from the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the Port of New York/New Jersey, the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, Southern New Jersey Development Council, New Jersey Transit, and the New Jersey Short Line Association. We have met with Union County community leaders. We have had frank exchanges of information. Much of what we have learned will find its way into the merger application we file with the Surface Transportation Board. To summarize: We believe that only Norfolk Southern's merger with Conrail will prevent New Jersey from becoming increasingly captive to a monolithic rail carrier. We want the opportunity to show you what rail-to-rail competition will mean for New Jersey, its highways, and its air quality. And we want to work with you to stimulate economic development within your borders. In closing, we'd like to ask three things of you: First, support our effort. Second, if for whatever reason you can't endorse our merger proposal, come out in favor of the "Principles of Balanced Rail Competition," as described on the sheet in your information packet. Make sure Governor Whitman and New Jersey's congressional delegation know that you support these principles. Third, give us your feedback. We want to know what matters to you and your constituents. Thank you. We'll be glad to answer any questions you may have. ### EX-99 3 EXHIBIT (A)(13) [Exhibit (a)(13)] CR+NS The Better Choice Norfolk Southern's acquisition of Conrail is the last chance to assure that there will be balanced, competitive rail transportation in the East and the service reliability and quality that competition assures. With many experts predicting a final round of consolidation that will result in the nation being served by just two transcontinental rail systems, it is essential that competition in the East be maintained and strengthened. Railroad Mergers -- A Natural Trend Railroads have been merging almost since the first trains ran in the United States. A common theme has run through the industry's mergers right from the start. By combining, railroads could serve more customers more efficiently with broader networks and provide better service to those customers. Driven by globalization of trade and customer demand that transportation providers serve even larger territories and offer more complete and better service, railroad consolidation in recent years has spurred the creation of large carriers that operate extensive networks throughout several regions of the United States. From approximately 40 Class I railroads that were in business in 1980 when the industry was deregulated, mergers have shrunk the roster to today's five giant systems. The West is blanketed by two companies, Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe, while three carriers, Conrail, Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation, cover the East. History reveals that current efforts to acquire Conrail should come as no surprise. CR+NS -- Transportation Excellence History does not teach that all mergers are equal in benefit or harm. Some mergers are better than others. CR+NS will be superior to a CSX/CR combination in many ways. Customers throughout the northern U.S. will gain the benefits of Norfolk Southern intermodal expertise. Norfolk Southern's intermodal traffic has grown at twice the industry rate in the last decade and reflects Norfolk Southern's expertise and interest in shorter haul intermodal traffic. Every intermodal unit handled by CR+NS is one more long haul truck off northeastern highways. While railroads now dominate the long haul movement of truck and container freight, over-the-road truckers still prevail in short haul markets. CR+NS will change that. Rail intermodal traffic generally is competitive with trucks on hauls of 750 miles or more, but NS is competitive on hauls as short as 500 miles. Norfolk Southern will extend its bimodal Triple Crown service into new markets as well. CR+NS will bring to employees and communities the benefits of a consistently aggressive and successful industrial development department. Norfolk Southern's economic development efforts, in conjunction with the states and communities it serves, located 8 of the last 11 new auto assembly plants on Norfolk Southern. CR+NS will open markets throughout the eastern U.S. to more efficient single line service. For example, paper movements from plants in the Southeast to northeastern markets will benefit. Improved car utilization for clay shippers with movements to the Northeast will result from elimination of interchange inefficiencies. Extensive new direct, through services will be created. CR+NS will create a lot of new and faster carload services by using the best routes and best yards of the combined company. New service will link Conrail points with Kansas City. The NS route bypasses congested terminals in both Chicago and St. Louis. New carload service will operate down the Eastern Seaboard, providing direct service between Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore and the Southeast. Another new carload service will operate directly from the Northeast to the Southeast on a shorter, faster route than the current I-81 corridor. Traffic that now moves the long way around via Cincinnati in joint line service now will follow these direct routes, saving both time and mileage. CR+NS will bring to the Northeast rail operations that consistently have a lower ratio of operating expenses to revenue than any other major railroad. This efficiency is achieved through the dedication and discipline of Norfolk Southern employees. Conrail employees will become part of a system with the best safety record in the industry and that is widely regarded as the best-run and most efficient railroad. Conrail and CSX facilities overlap in 60 communities, and Conrail's major Hollidaysburg and Altoona, Pa., car and locomotive shops are just 70 miles from CSX's facilities at Cumberland, Md. With far less overlap, CR+NS is likely to see far fewer job losses. Basically, CR+NS are an end-to-end merger with fewer competitive problems than a CSX/CR merger creates. Balanced competition will stimulate even greater economic activity in the region, resulting in more growth opportunities and job creation under CR+NS. CR+NS -- Balanced Competition Unlike the competing CSX/CR plan, CR+NS is pro-competitive. Putting substance to its "Principles of Balanced Competition," Norfolk Southern is committed as part of its merger plan to assure competitive balance throughout the region by transferring lines to competitors. Norfolk Southern and CSX already compete vigorously throughout the Southeast and much of the Midwest, although CSX is the larger railroad. Conrail, created by the federal government in 1976 following the bankruptcy of six eastern railroads, has a virtual monopoly in the vital New York market, and dominates other parts of the Northeast. A merger of Conrail with either NS or CSX would create an unbalanced rail transportation environment throughout the East unless steps are taken to restore the balance. CSX/CR would dominate rail transportation with almost 70% of the market by revenue; without a competitive remedy the CR+NS market share would be approximately 61%. Norfolk Southern will take positive steps to remedy the imbalance. What is Balanced Competition? Balance is not merely the act of changing colors of lines on a map. Competitive balance is a combination of market share, geographic coverage, market access and commodity diversity. That is the situation that prevails in the West. Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe both go just about everywhere and are comparable in size, although UP is slightly larger. Neither is dependent on a single commodity for its future. Balance assures that neither western carrier is in a position to dominate the rail transportation market and reduce competitive options for freight shippers. In the Southeast, CSX and NS long have competed on relatively equal terms. CSX enjoys broader geographic coverage and a 55% market share, but NS is more profitable. As an independent carrier, Conrail acts as a "neutral" in the Northeast, even though it competes with NS and CSX in the Midwest. Today, both NS and CSX must interchange freight with Conrail to reach customers in the Northeast. A merged Conrail, with either NS or CSX, affects much more than the Northeast. Absent the kind of competitive balance Norfolk Southern proposes and which exists in the West and Southeast today, the merged carrier would not only dominate the Northeast, it would extend that domination south and westward. As a result, the non-merging carrier would be forced to interchange much of its traffic with its competitor and eventually would be driven from now competitive markets. This elimination of competitive service would not be good for freight shippers any more than it would be good for the losing railroad. With CSX/CR, 64 cities face a reduction from two competing railroads to one, compared with only 38 two-to-one points under CR+NS. CSX/CR results in 7 cities with more than 100,000 population -- Baltimore; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Indianapolis; Dayton, Ohio; Grand Rapids, Mich., and Youngstown, Ohio -- in the two-to-one category. CR+NS produces only two -- Erie, Pa., and Fort Wayne, Ind. Similarly, only one short line railroad would lose competitive connections under CR+NS, while 18 would become totally tributary to CSX/CR. Norfolk Southern will maintain competition at all those points. Creation of Balanced Competition While a CR+NS combination has much less geographic overlap than CSX/CR, Norfolk Southern is committed to preserving competition where the systems overlap. Norfolk Southern will go farther, by opening the Northeast -- most significantly the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area and the vital ports in that region -- to service by two strong competitors for the first time in more than 20 years. This will bring competitive balance between CR+NS and CSX closer to 55%-45%. It also will assure that freight shippers will have competitive options throughout the eastern half of the nation. Norfolk Southern will further assure that competition is real by transferring ownership of competing lines. Through ownership, carriers can differentiate their service and make normal business decisions about capacity and investment. This is necessary in the Northeast, where NS and CSX lack market presence and facilities in numerous major markets. In the West, both large rail systems already were in most markets and grants of trackage rights could fine-tune competitive balance. CR+NS -- Benefits for All Constituencies Norfolk Southern recognizes the public policy benefits of market share and geographic coverage balance. Basically, CR+NS has fewer disruptions to communities, workers and short line railroads than would a CSX/CR combination, as well as far greater service and efficiency benefits. For rail service customers, for rail employees, for the communities we serve, for the deregulated rail industry, and for the public at large, CR+NS clearly is The Better Choice! 02/06/97 CR+NS The Better Choice for NEW JERSEY The State of New Jersey as well as rail customers and consumers in the State will benefit greatly as a result of Norfolk Southern's acquisition of Conrail and the related competitive alternative package. Balanced Competition Conrail dominates rail transportation in New Jersey today, with 100 percent of the Class 1 mileage in the state. The Conrail + Norfolk Southern combination will restore true competition in New Jersey, with two Class I railroads serving both carload and the fast-growing intermodal markets. Norfolk Southern is committed to balanced rail competition. The Norfolk Southern application to acquire Conrail, to be filed with the Surface Transportation Board within two months, will offer a competitive alternative package that ensures freight shippers and receivers rail pricing and service options. Meaningful rail competition has certain minimum requirements: o competing rail networks must be of comparable size o major markets must be served by two large railroads o railroads must own their own routes to/from most major markets o competing railroads must have effective access to terminals. New Jersey is part of the largest consumer market in the United States. The Port of New York and New Jersey, the largest East Coast container port, is the first call in the eastern U.S. for most steamship lines. All other major U.S. East Coast ports are served by two competing major railroads, but the Port of New York and New Jersey does not enjoy this advantage. Today, Conrail is a neutral carrier for freight moving between regions of the country, interchanging freight with CSXT, Norfolk Southern Railway and western railroads without preference. These interline options give many New Jersey rail customers price, service, and routing alternatives. A CSX/CR combination, however, would reduce competition by extending Conrail's current domination of New Jersey into areas previously served by interline service. Conrail's current neutral position on NS and CSXT interline traffic would disappear, and even the limited current interline service and rate competition would end. In contrast Norfolk Southern's competitive alternative package will assure that two major railroads will serve New Jersey. Full competitive rate and route choices will be created for New Jersey freight customers. Norfolk Southern's competitive alternative package will implement the vision of competitive rail service in New Jersey and the entire Northeast and MidAtlantic Region intended by Congress and United States Railway Association planners in the 1970s when they dealt with the collapse of the Penn Central and five other eastern railroads. The original restructuring plan provided for competitive rail service into New Jersey and other areas where Conrail today overwhelmingly dominates rail service. CR+NS The Better Choice for NEW JERSEY Service and Pricing Benefits CR+NS will open the New Jersey market and port to service from two major Class I railroads. As a result, New Jersey rail customers will have a choice between two competitive east-west routes and two competitive north-south routes from northern New Jersey. In southern New Jersey the Philadelphia/Camden area also will enjoy two carrier competitive service. This additional service option will ensure that businesses moving goods to and from New Jersey will be able to make transportation choices based on price, service and safety --particularly important to chemical customers. Such head-to-head competition between railroads of similar size can change market prices and generate new business. CR+NS will bring to New Jersey communities the benefits of the consistently aggressive and successful NS Industrial Development Department. Norfolk Southern's economic development efforts, in conjunction with the states and communities it serves, located 8 of the last 11 new auto assembly plants -- including BMW and Mercedes Benz -- on Norfolk Southern lines. Major industries today require access by two railroads when making site selection decisions. The NS competitive alternative package will help New Jersey to create new jobs through economic development. CR+NS will extend single-line service for the first time from New Jersey west to Kansas City, where CR+NS will connect with all western railroads and bypass congestion and costly delays at Chicago and East St. Louis. Safety in rail operations is particularly important in New Jersey, with its extensive commuter rail network and the key chemical industry helping drive the state's economy. In 1995 for the seventh consecutive year, Norfolk Southern received the Harriman Gold award for outstanding safety performance in the railroad industry. The company also has received chemical customer quality awards from BP Chemical, Amoco, Dow Chemical, DuPont, Occidental, and Air Products and Chemicals. CR+NS will bring rail service backed by this reputation for quality and safety to New Jersey chemical companies. The competitive rail service offered by CR+NS also will make the Port of New York and New Jersey more competitive for automotive importers. The international vehicle manufacturers will gain a choice of rail routes and competing price and service packages to move vehicles and parts into the rest of the United States. Innovative equipment -- such as the fully enclosed AutoRailer(R) -- will be offered by the CR+NS bimodal subsidiary, Triple Crown Services Company. Competitive intermodal service -- carrying truck trailers and containers on rail cars --benefits more than just rail freight customers. Competitive rail service will attract more traffic to rail intermodal and will divert traffic from trucks. With key stretches of I-95 and other highways in New Jersey approaching gridlock at times, taking trucks off the highway produces significant benefits for the region by alleviating congestion and helping to reduce air pollution. CR+NS The Better Choice for NEW JERSEY NS has a proven record of investing in intermodal terminals and equipment and new train services to support intermodal growth. While CSX claims that its acquisition of Conrail will take trucks off highways, CSXT's record does not support the rhetoric. Since 1988, when both CSXT and NS began serious intermodal initiatives, NS intermodal traffic grew 94 percent -- more than double the industry growth rate. During the same period CSXT intermodal traffic was flat and trailed industry growth, while Conrail intermodal growth only tracked the industry average with a 43 percent gain. Triple Crown Services Company successfully competes today with over-the-road trucks in the market for transportation of consumer goods and industrial material for just-in-time inventory management. CR+NS will serve New Jersey with expanded RoadRailer(R) service to southern and midwestern destinations. A larger RoadRailer(R) network will take more truck traffic off I-95 and will permit CR+NS to provide services that might not be cost effective or possible with conventional rail service. For rail service customers in New Jersey, for customer and rail employees, for the communities we serve, for the deregulated rail industry, and for the public at large, CR+NS clearly is The Better Choice 02/19/97 [Map of eastern United States showing CSX and Company rail systems.] [Map of eastern United States showing Parent and Company rail systems.] -----END PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE-----