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When CSX acquired 42 percent of the assets of the Conrail in 1998, those assets included 1 1/2 miles of abandoned, crumbling elevated railroad that much of New York City considered an eyesore and a safety hazard. The biggest challenge was finding some use for the property into the future.

 

“Having almost a mile and half of property through Manhattan is highly unusual,” recalls Steve Crosby, president of CSX Real Property, Inc.

 

Some sections of the High Line had already been torn down and most New Yorkers, including then Mayor Rudy Giuliani, wanted the rest to go down too.

 

The leadership of CSX, however, saw in the High Line more than rubble.

 

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