Amtrak Trains Fight to Go First [View all]

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Amtrak Trains Fight to Go First

Freight railroads are pushing federal regulator to change rule giving passenger trains priority over cargo trains



Amtrak is experiencing rising ridership. The railroad overall carried nearly 31 million passengers in 2015, compared with about 25 million in 2006. Photo: Mel Evans/Associated Press

By Laura Stevens and Andrew Tangel
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May 22, 2016 7:15 p.m. ET

Which train should go first—an Amtrak passenger train or a cargo train? That’s the question federal regulators are trying to resolve.

For more than 40 years, Amtrak says it has had the right to go first under law, meaning freight railroads have to pull over their trains whenever possible to let a passenger train pass or hold their trains in station to prioritize an Amtrak departure, except in emergencies. ... Freight railroads want that to change, but Amtrak, whose long-haul national trains are chronically late, is fighting it.

“Amtrak’s not being rigid here or inflexible,” D.J. Stadtler, chief operating officer for the national passenger railroad said. “In order for the network to work for the passengers, we’ve got to have a reliable and repeatable schedule that we’re held to.”

The decision is in the hands of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, a federal agency that regulates railroads. In December, the board said it is reviewing the existing rule and signaled that it is open to changing the current state of play. A final decision is expected in the coming weeks. ... A spokesman said the board is examining the positions of parties who weighed in following the close of the commentary period in March, with no set timeline for releasing its findings.
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