Amtrak tweets its case for Gulf Coast service

Hours before the Surface Transportation Board (STB) began the first day of a two-day public hearing on the matter, Amtrak yesterday laid out on social media its case for why it should be allowed to restore passenger-rail service along the Gulf Coast.

Amtrak President and CEO Stephen Gardner is scheduled to testify before the board to explain the national intercity passenger railroad's reasons why it should restore service in the region. But Amtrak officials gave a preview of their case on Twitter.

Amtrak has not operated passenger-rail service along the Gulf Coast since 2005, when Hurricane Katrina damaged rail infrastructure. Amtrak has appealed to the STB to require CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway to allow Amtrak to use freight-rail track to restore service of two daily roundtrips along a route between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama.

Katrina washed away much of CSX's Gulf Coast tracks, which meant Amtrak had to suspend its Sunset Limited service between New Orleans and Florida.

Since 2006, track has been rebuilt to support freight-rail service. However, CSX and NS are opposed to Amtrak's service restoration in the region.

Amtrak has a legal right to access any U.S. rail line, Amtrak officials tweeted.

"This was put into law 50 years ago when Congress created Amtrak to relieve freight railroads of their obligation to provide passenger service," Amtrak tweeted. "Gulf Coast Service is not an exception."

Although the Class Is believe passenger-rail service would "unreasonably impair" freight-rail service along the tracks, Amtrak's proposed two daily trips between New Orleans and Mobile would not unreasonably impair freight service, the passenger railroad tweeted.

"The route is far from its capacity," Amtrak officials noted. "CSX ran (about) 11 trains per day there in 2017."

In addition, funding to invest in CSX's infrastructure on the route has been committed. Gulf Coast states and Amtrak and won and matched federal grants of more than $60 million to upgrade CSX infrastructure, Amtrak tweeted.

"CSX and NS are demanding $440 million to allow twice a day Amtrak service between New Orleans and Mobile, far, far beyond estimates from the congressionally established Gulf Coast Working Group. Unsurprisingly, CSX & NS refuse to share how they got that figure."

The Class Is know that an STB decision to allow Amtrak to operate its trains along their track could set a precedent for passenger-rail growth in the United States under the recently passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, tweeted Amtrak.

The new infrastructure law included billions of dollars for Amtrak to use to expand intercity passenger-rail service throughout the country.