Amtrak, Metra propose schedule to STB for Union Station dispute; will provide information on remaining issues Dec. 15
Attorneys for Amtrak and Metra will inform the Surface Transportation Board on Dec. 15 of unresolved issues in their dispute over Metra’s lease at Chicago Union Station under a proposed schedule to address those issues presented to the board on Tuesday. The letter to the board says the two sides have agreed to a schedule which would see them file versions of their supplemental briefs on the remaining issues on Jan. 15 and Jan. 22, with reply briefs on Feb. 12 and Feb. 19. On Monday, the board was informed that the two sides had resolved some but not all issues during arbitration that ended in November. The long-running dispute over the lease first came to the board in 2018 [see “Metra asks STB to intervene …,” Trains News Wire, April 10, 2018]; then and in 2019, the board declined to step in, but ordered arbitration after Amtrak brought the matter before the STB again this year [see “Amtrak asks STB to settle dispute with Metra …,” News Wire, May 28, 2020].
Section of Atlanta BeltLine faces revision after NS objection
The Northeast Trail portion of the Atlanta BeltLine project faces revision after Norfolk Southern voiced objection to a proposed crossing of its right-of-way in Atlanta’s Buckhorn neighborhood. Reporter Newspapers reports the NS public projects division voiced its objection over a plan to cross the railroad in what it called a “pinch point” northwest of Interstate 85. The project is now reviewing reviewing alternative routes, which will likely set back completion beyond the current target of 2026. The BeltLine is a series of trails, to eventually be accompanied by a light rail line, that will encircle central Atlanta, mostly using former railroad rights-of-way.
Judge halts work on part of Mexico’s Maya Train over environmental concerns
A district judge in Campeche, Mexico, has halted work on a 138-mile stretch of the Maya Train project to link tourist and archaeological sites, saying it could cause irreparable environmental damage. The $8 billion project to link cities on the Yucatan Peninsula with a 950-mile rail system is divided into seven construction segments. Mexico News Daily reports the ruling halts Section 2, which is being built under a $937.9 million contract to a consortium controlled by billionare Carlos Slim. The decision is in response to an injunction request from more than 100 environmental and indigenous organizations; it will take a legal challenge to overturn the ruling.
