About Philadelphia Belt Line Railroad Company
Nature of Business
The Philadelphia Belt Line Railroad Company (“PBL”) is a rail terminal switching carrier engaged in transportation-related development and real estate leasing in the Port of Philadelphia.
PBL directly owns or has an interest in 6.5 miles of railroad infrastructure plus an additional 10 miles of trackage rights over a joint railroad, as well as other fee simple owned property and right of way within the Port of Philadelphia. PBL leases rail operating infrastructure and has also entered into real estate leases for a number of billboard locations.
History
PBL was chartered on May 10, 1889, to guarantee equal access on equal terms to the Port of Philadelphia to any railroad company whether in the City of Philadelphia at that time or at any time in the future, with that guarantee being referred to as the “Belt Line Principle.”
By Ordinance passed on December 26, 1890, the City Council of Philadelphia granted PBL a right of way starting at Hartranft Street in South Philadelphia and following the general direction of the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers to the terminus at or near Princeton Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia.
In 1914, the railroads operating in the southern part of the Port of Philadelphia–the Reading Railroad, the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company–entered into an agreement with PBL known as the South Philadelphia Agreement. The agreement established a joint railroad governed by the Belt Line Principle, with the result that any railroad reaching the geographical area of the joint railroad could enjoy equal access to the joint railroad at the same cost as any other railroad.
Formerly operated by the Reading Railroad, PBL north became an owned segment of Philadelphia Belt Line Railroad. PBL currently retains Conrail as an operating carrier providing rail transportation service under terms of “The Belt Line Principle” of open access to both Norfolk Southern and CSX.
Officers
Henry F. Reichner
President
Elizabeth Murphy
Treasurer
Anthony Bartolomeo
Secretary
Jack Ercolani
V.P. / Asst. Treasurer
Board Members
Henry F. Reichner
Chair of PBL Board
Reed Smith LLP
Partner
Anthony S. Bartolomeo
Philadelphia Belt Line RR. Co.
Vice-President/Secretary
Carl P. Belke
D&H Rail Consulting LLC
President
Dennis J. Colgan
Cove Investments, LP
President
Leo A. Holt
Holt Logistics Corp.
President
Hon. Gregory P. Montanaro
Drexel University
Vice President
Elizabeth Murphy
PECO
SVP, Regulatory and External Affairs
Charles P Pizzi
Corporate Director
George C. Woodward
University of Denver Transportation & Supply Chain Institute
President – Board of Directors