STB Permits Amtrak to Access CSX Yard
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Nov. 29 decided that Amtrak may access CSX’s Choctaw Yard in Mobile, Ala., as part of its Gulf Coast service planning efforts.
Regulatory
STB Establishes New Class Exemption for Emergency Temporary Trackage Rights
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has adopted a final rule establishing a new “emergency temporary trackage rights class exemption” that could be invoked during natural disasters, accidents or derailments; the rule is effective Dec. 30, 2021.
Howard Street Tunnel Expansion Project Launches
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan led public- and private-sector leaders in breaking ground on the $466 million Howard Street Tunnel expansion project, which will reconstruct the 126-year-old freight rail tunnel to accommodate double-stack container trains to and from the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore.
A ‘Gow’ Infused STB Chairman
Years ago, as general counsel to the Illinois Racing Commission, Surface Transportation Board (STB) Chairperson Martin J. Oberman chased the “gow”—jockey-speak for opium used illegally to improve race horse performance. These days, the 76-year-old Oberman is himself infused with a legal form of gow: an unabated resolve to use his regulatory cudgel to splinter railroad market power.
Former FTA Deputy Joins WSP USA
Kenneth Feldman has been hired to lead WSP USA Advisory’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Grant Practice for major transit projects, following 19 years of FTA service.
Mexican Authorities OK CPKC
Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) have received the required Mexican regulatory pre-transaction control approvals for their proposed combination, Canadian Pacific Kansas City.
BLET, SMART-TD Challenge Amtrak on Vaccine Policy
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) have filed suit against Amtrak over implementation of its COVID-19 vaccine policy.
STB to NS: Address Performance, Shipper Complaints (Updated)
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) is calling on Norfolk Southern (NS) to address the deterioration of “key operating metrics” over the past several weeks and the increasing number of customer complaints to STB about the Class I railroad’s “poor performance.”
STB Eyes Private Railcar Rulemaking
The Surface Transportation Board will consider a proposal by private railcar owners to adopt regulations updating the demurrage and accessorial rules governing the railroads’ use and handling of their equipment.
STB: CP-KCS Merger Proceeding Will Proceed (Updated)
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has accepted for consideration the Canadian Pacific (CP)-Kansas City Southern (KCS) merger application submitted on Oct. 29.