WASHINGTON – Amtrak has reached a settlement in principle with two freight customers in Pennsylvania who had asked federal regulators to prevent the loss of rail service during a six-week track project.
Amtrak told federal regulators on May 10 that it had reached a confidential settlement with Esbenshade and the Wenger Group, which operate feed mills in Mount Joy, Pa., adjacent to Amtrak’s Harrisburg Line. The plants receive inbound loads from trackage rights tenant Norfolk Southern.
Amtrak, the feed mill operators, and NS are parties to the settlement. They asked the Surface Transportation Board to hold the matter in abeyance pending finalization of the settlement agreement.
The board had set a May 15 deadline for Amtrak and Norfolk Southern to reply to the freight customers’ request for a directed service order that would prevent the trackage from being shut down during the trackwork.
Confused by the article. Glad a settlement was reached. It appears two feed mills worked out a deal. Kellogg joined the case but there is no mention of Kellogg being part of the agreement. Presume the two feed mills process the grains and then truck to the Kellogg’s plant?
Depending on accessories the TLM can have a plow attached under running the old ties that will plow out all the fouled ballast, sub grade and attach new rail to concrete ties. Then ballast can be dropped by either TLM or cars attached to end of TLM.
What takes time is disconnecting all the signal connections, rail groundings, capacitors, etc by signals department.
So why is the agreement confidential? Amtrak is a public corporation and should not be hiding the way it does business. One is left to speculate how much Amtrak agreed to pay off the two companies for their “inconvenience”
Concrete ties last longer than wood ties, are more durable and provide a smoother quicker ride especially on an electrified passenger line like Amtrak’s Harrisburg line. You can’t have progress and upgrades without some inconvience. As the old saying goes “No pain, No gain”. It will be interesting to see the complainers and naysayers be the first ones to praise and compliment Amtrak and the new improved Harrisburg line once all upgrades and improvements are done and we have smooth reliable and comfortable train service rolling.
Joseph C. Markfelder
Interesting that in a Brightline progress video I just saw, they mention that the main lines are concrete tied, but wood ties are used at grade crossings, account wood can absorb the stress of highway traffic across it better than concrete. Yes, I know this does not apply to the Harrisburg line.
I’m glad they reached a deal.
Amtrak is upgrading its Harrisburg Line and is using the TLM (Track Laying Machine) for the work. This machine will replace all the wood ties with concrete (switch timbers remain wood) and all the rail. This entails completely removing the railroad under the TLM. Set up and removal of the TLM is time-consuming and expensive.
On the other hand, the feed mills and Tony the Tiger (I prefer Daniel Tiger: he rides the trolley) are important businesses. This way, with NS on board, everybody can be satisfied.
Well “Tony the Tiger” is still GREAAAAT!!!