WASHINGTON—Calling the issue “ripe for adjudication,” the Surface Transportation Board has agreed with Amtrak’s request for expedited hearings to determine what, if any, infrastructure improvements must occur before it can begin operating between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala.
Amtrak had sought to start two daily round trips along the Norfolk Southern-CSX Transportation route in January 2022 [see “Amtrak asks STB to require CSX, NS to allow Gulf Coast service,” Trains News Wire, March 16, 2021]. The STB’s schedule for discovery, rebuttal, and proposals for a hearing format will conclude Dec. 16, so hearings may not begin until January, and a decision would only be finalized after that. If the STB decides capacity upgrades are necessary before service can start, those would have to be constructed.
But Friday’s STB ruling rejected the host railroads’ argument that the entire process should be delayed until environmental reviews are undertaken, saying “the contemplated additional train operations and infrastructure improvements … would be similar to those all railroads are free to do without Board authority and without environmental review.”
Administrative Law Judge to address disputes
Anticipating disagreements between Amtrak and the host railroads, and to head off attempts to slow the proceedings, the STB appointed Administrative Law Judge Thomas McCarthy “to rule upon discovery matters and to resolve initially all disputes concerning discovery in this proceeding,” It added, “After the discovery period ends, the Board will not look favorably upon requests to pause the procedural schedule to resolve such disputes.”
This is a direct challenge to the unwillingness of CSX and NS to share the changing parameters under which the now-cancelled Rail Traffic Controller modeling study — to determine the ability of the route to handle passenger trains in addition to its current freight traffic — was conducted for more than a year. Amtrak ultimately chose to pursue the start of Gulf Coast service without that study, even though the host railroads insist it must be completed [see “FRA unable to obtain all Gulf Coast capacity data,” News Wire, May 10, 2021].
The STB rejected outright the contention of the railroads and the Port of Mobile that the RTC study needed to be completed before service could begin. But the agency expects it and other evidence, “together with all the inputs, assumptions, and methodologies underlying any study results, including all relevant traffic … will be a part of the record in this proceeding.”
In a statement to Trains News Wire, spokeswoman Cindy Schild says,“CSX is evaluating the decision, but will plan to move forward with the schedule established by the STB.”
Praise from Southern Rail Commission, Amtrak
The Southern Rail Commission and Amtrak, which have worked to secure state cooperation and funding for service east of New Orleans for more than five years, applauded the board’s decision.
Knox Ross, Mississippi‘s SRC Commissioner, says, “We are especially pleased that the STB found no need for an environmental review and set an aggressive hearing schedule to resolve this process within an expeditious timeframe that could meet Amtrak’s stated goal of starting passenger service in January 2022. Our communities are ready for the return daily rail service.”
Amtrak’s statement thanked the STB for its decision to dismiss the CSX and NS “attempt to block Gulf Coast passenger rail service. This upholds Amtrak’s right to petition the Board for rail access and sets a schedule for a transparent process that will produce an outcome by the end of this year.
What traffic congestion on CSX along Mississippi Gulf Coast. Took extended 4 day weekend stay on that Coast a couple weeks back. This line (which ran behind where I was staying) only saw 1 train about every 2 hours. The only thing leading to congestion is the fact that they are running very long trains (over 220 cars average) and the cant get them in at the terminals.
On Norfolk Southern’s section (the former Southern’s New Orleans Terminal) their IS congestion. Part of that solution would be to either double track the section that is just west of I-10 through Metairie LA to the New Orleans Public Belt Railway approach to the Huey P. Long bridge or Triple track the line from I-10 to Elysian Fields Avenue (where it is already triple track. That would move location of reduce or all the trains parked waiting to proceed along this section. This small section of track sees as much as 35-40% of all US East-West/West-East traffic South of St. Louis.
Over the years ALL the major railroads reduced excess capacity. now that traffic has picked up somewhat, they are coming up short and it’s biting them in the ass.
What ever happened to the plan to extend the City of New Orleans to Orlando daily in lieu of the Sunset running east?
As a shareholder in both RR’s, I resent my RR’S managements unwillingness to cooperate with Amtrak. It reminds me of the old days before regulation when the Barons dictated rates and were not good citizens. Yes, get Amtrak to pay for capacity upgrades but learn how to play nice. Move the trains!
What do you mean, there’s no demand passenger trains between New Orleans and Mobile? Of course there is. NS and CSX need to get out of the way and learn how to operate their railroads in an efficient manner — one that involves public service, not just paying big dividends to stockholders. It’s time make big corporations more responsive to the national good. Heck, let’s nationalize the tracks and award operating contracts to firms that will deliver the goods.
CSX and NS should fight this hard.
Amtrak just gets in the way and demands priority for very little money. There is no real demand for passenger service between NOLA and Mobile. It’s a government waste. Fight it hard.
Interesting, CSX and NS both have contracts specifying that they have to run Amtrak trains on all their lines. Amtrak has tried working with them for 16 years, time to bring the government hammer down on CSX and NS.