Amtrak

Stakeholders detail worries, support on CSX plan to acquire Pan Am Railways

Ensuring competitive access and fortifying passenger rail service are two of the goals that stakeholders want the Surface Transportation Board to achieve as it mulls CSX’s proposed acquisition of New England short line Pan Am Railways.

Opponents and skeptics about the acquisition want STB to make CSX (NASDAQ: CSX) fulfill a number of conditions as part of its approval — if the board approves the application at all — according to their recent filings.

Canadian Pacific is seeking to preserve the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/stakeholders-detail-worries-support-on-csx-plan-to-acquire-pan-am-railways

Federal regulators to review Amtrak’s request to restore Gulf Coast service

A photo of an Amtrak train travelling through a flat and grassy plain.

The Surface Transportation Board has determined that it will review Amtrak’s request to restore Gulf Coast service, dismissing calls by Class I railroads CSX and Norfolk Southern to deny the request because of concerns about how the passenger rail service might affect freight rail operations.

Amtrak wants to run passenger trains between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama. But the service would run on lines owned by CSX (NASDAQ: CSX) and NS (NYSE: NSC), and both railroads, along with the Port of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/federal-regulators-to-review-amtraks-request-to-restore-gulf-coast-service

Highways, ports get $2B boost in Biden infrastructure deal

A bipartisan group of senators negotiating with President Joe Biden boosted new funding for highway and port infrastructure each by $1 billion from an initial framework announced in June, according to a new fact sheet released by the White House.

The “Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal” announced on Wednesday increases new funds for roads, bridges and major projects from $109 to $110 billion, with port infrastructure investment increasing from $16 billion to $17 billion.

The $550 billion in total new...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/highways-ports-get-2b-boost-in-biden-infrastructure-deal

CSX, NS and Amtrak spar over Gulf Coast service

A photograph of a train leaving a train station.

Amtrak wants the Surface Transportation Board to expedite its review of Amtrak’s plans to reestablish passenger rail service in the U.S. Gulf Coast. The service was discontinued in the mid-2000s. But CSX and Norfolk Southern are saying, not so fast. The two freight rail carriers still want Amtrak to complete a comprehensive survey of how the passenger service would impact regional freight shipping operations.

Amtrak seeks to start operating passenger rail service between New Orleans and Mobile,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/csx-ns-and-amtrak-spar-over-gulf-coast-service

Passenger rail benefits from Biden’s proposed DOT budget

A photograph of an Amtrak train rolling across a desert field.

More funding for passenger rail? Yes, please, according to President Joe Biden’s proposed budget for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for next year.

The proposed $4 billion budget includes a 35% increase in financial support for Amtrak as well as the creation of a new grant program aimed at modernizing and developing passenger rail service. 

The Amtrak funding and the grant programs would comprise $3.7 billion of the $4 billion budget. The budget would seek to “jump-start” the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/passenger-rail-benefits-from-bidens-proposed-dot-budget

DOT seeks ‘careful and prompt consideration’ of Amtrak service to Gulf Coast

A photograph of an Amtrak train traveling through an open field.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is supporting efforts to bring Amtrak service to the Gulf Coast, acknowledging the challenges that stakeholders have had in reaching a consensus over infrastructure and operational needs.

A Monday letter from DOT, representing the interests of the agency as well as the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), asks the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to “give careful and prompt consideration” to Amtrak’s request to provide daily service in 2022 between...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/dot-seeks-careful-and-prompt-consideration-of-amtrak-service-to-gulf-coast

Congress, STB try to help Amtrak get on track with performance metrics

A photograph of an Amtrak train rolling down a desert field.

Congressional leaders and regulators are looking at ways Amtrak can improve its on-time performance, and they’re employing different tactics to get to that goal.

The freight railroads factor into Amtrak’s ability to meet certain on-time performance metrics because the railroads and Amtrak share the same track in certain areas of the U.S. rail network, such as near Chicago or along the Northeast corridor. By law, the freight railroads must give Amtrak and passenger rail priority use of the track.

L...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/congress-stb-try-to-help-amtrak-get-on-track-with-performance-metrics

CSX, Amtrak and Virginia formalize public-private partnership

A composite image featuring two photographs. Both are of a train crossing a rusted bridge.

The commonwealth of Virginia, Amtrak, commuter rail Virginia Railway Express (VRE) and CSX (NASDAQ: CSX) have formally dedicated themselves to take part in a $3.7 billion effort to divide passenger and freight rail traffic in Virginia and improve traffic flows between the Northeast and Southeast corridors.

The public-private partnership, dubbed “Transforming Rail in Virginia,” seeks to alleviate the choke point that passenger and freight rail trains encounter when passing from Washington into...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/csx-amtrak-and-virginia-formalize-public-private-partnership

Regulators: Railroads beat deadline for anti-crash technology rollout

The long-awaited rollout of anti-crash technology known as positive train control (PTC) among all railroads required to install the technology is now complete, according to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

PTC, which was mandated as part of the Rail Safety Act of 2008, is now in operation on all 57,536 required freight and passenger railroad route miles – including seven Class I railroads, Amtrak and 28 commuter railroads – prior to the year-end deadline set by Congress.

“Achieving 100%...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/regulators-railroads-beat-deadline-for-anti-crash-technology-rollout

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