STB to hold hearing on status of Amtrak Gulf Coast settlement

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) will hold a hearing Feb. 14 on the settlement agreement between Amtrak, CSX, Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) and the Port of Mobile that would allow Amtrak trains to operate on a Gulf Coast rail line.

In addition, the STB is requiring the parties to provide additional information on their agreement by Feb. 1.

In March 2021, Amtrak petitioned the STB to order CSX and NS to allow Amtrak to run additional intercity passenger trains over freight-rail lines between New Orleans, La., and Mobile, Alabama. The board then held a multiday hearing on Amtrak’s request in 2022. On Nov. 22, 2022, before the board decided the matter, it granted a motion from the parties to hold the proceeding in abeyance while the parties worked to implement a settlement agreement.

Last week, the board ordered that, because more than 14 months have passed since the settlement was announced, the February report must include detailed information on the status of the settlement’s implementation and describe any issues that remain outstanding. The board may determine that the Feb. 14 hearing can be canceled if the status report is sufficient, STB officials said in a press release.

The settling parties are required to appear at the Feb. 14 hearing; Mobile city officials may appear if they wish, board officials said.