Wisconsin senator's bill would define 'common carrier obligation'

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) this week introduced the Reliable Rail Service Act to help address the "unreliable service and high costs" of rail shipping for U.S. businesses.

The legislation is supported by members of the agriculture industry, labor groups, energy producers and manufacturers. The bill aims to ensure the largest freight railroads provide U.S. businesses with “reliable service at reasonable rates"; deliver U.S.-made products to market more efficiently; and help reduce costs for consumers, according to a press release issued by Baldwin's office.

If passed, the legislation would define the "common carrier obligation," a requirement that railroads serve the wider shipping public on reasonable request, a provision of the Staggers Act. But, a Transportation Research Board said in a report that the common carrier obligation remains "poorly defined." Failure to define the principle has contributed to insufficient rail service and “exorbitant” products, according to Baldwin's press release.

"American farmers, producers and manufacturers are paying sky-high prices for subpar rail service to get their goods to market, and consumers seeing the impact on their pocketbooks," said Baldwin. "In order to build a strong made-in-America economy and also lower costs for consumers, we need to ensure our agriculture, energy and manufacturing businesses have reliable rail service."