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7/13/2021
CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway on July 9 asked the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to deny Amtrak's renewed request for an interim order to provide Amtrak access to the Class Is' rail lines between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, to prepare for Gulf Coast passenger-rail service.
In their filing, CSX and NS asked the STB to deny as "moot" Amtrak's request for an interim order requiring the passenger railroad access to the freight railroads' track so that it can prepare to launch Gulf Coast passenger-rail service early next year.
Subsequent events have since clarified the limited interim access Amtrak is seeking, the Class Is note in the filing. On May 10, Amtrak requested access to CSX and NS facilities to "perform various safety, operations, and stations infrastructure assessments along the route" and stated that "an interim order may not be necessary" if CSX and NS provided the requested access.
CSX has already agreed to Amtrak's specific access requests submitted on June 16, and NS explained that Amtrak’s existing access to its lines was sufficient to accomplish the preparatory work, the Class Is’ filing states.
"Amtrak's renewed request for an interim order is thus moot as requesting nothing Amtrak does not already have," according to the Class Is.
The freight railroads also continued to make their case that a capacity study of the region is necessary prior to the launch of passenger service.
"It is needed to determine what infrastructure is required to support adding passenger trains to the Gulf Coast corridor without unreasonably degrading freight service, the CSX and NS filing states.
CSX and NS are not opposed to Amtrak's interest in launching new passenger service along the Gulf Coast, "but it should be done the right way," the Class Is say in their filing.
"CSX gave Amtrak the limited access it requested because that is the way these kinds of access initiatives are handled — giving Amtrak access to its stations to study whatever improvement are needed at the stations and conducting a capacity study to study improvements needed to the line of road," they said.
The complete filing can be read here.