WASHINGTON — Two U.S. senators have reintroduced a bill they say is intended to address service issues and shipping costs for rail customers.
Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) on Wednesday introduced the Reliable Rail Service Act, which seeks to clarify the definition of railroads’ common carrier obligation and establish specific criteria for the Surface Transportation Board to consider when determining if a railroad has violated that obligation.
Those criteria would include impacts in reductions or changes in the frequency of service; availability of local service; impacts of reductions in employment levels and equipment, and whether the service reasonably meets the operational and service requirements of the customers.
“Ensuring our agriculture, energy, and manufacturing businesses have reliable rail service will be crucial in leveling the playing field for Wisconsin businesses who depend on rail service and helping cut costs for working families,” Baldwin said in a press release. Said Marshall, “I frequently hear from Kansans that the service of Class 1I railroads is not living up to the expectations. These service failures hurt our shippers who use the rail to deliver their products to key export facilities. That’s why the Staggers Act of 1980 must be modernized to clearly define railroad’s common carrier obligations.”
Similar legislation introduced by Baldwin in 2022 died in committee.
A lengthy list of business groups and rail unions supporting the legislation is included in this summary of the bill. The full text is available here.
It’s time for the Class 1 lobbyists to earn their pay again.