WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has granted Amtrak’s request to dismiss the passenger operator’s complaint over handling of the Sunset Limited and close the board’s investigation into the matter.
“The Board favors parties coming together to voluntarily resolve disputes whenever possible, and I commend the parties here for finding a mutually satisfactory outcome,” STB Chairman Patrick Fuchs said in a press release today (Aug. 6, 2025). “I want to recognize the excellent, expert work of Board staff to evaluate the extraordinary amount of evidence in the Sunset Limited proceeding, and I am confident that this work has positioned the agency to deliver strong results for the public in any future passenger rail proceeding.”
The board’s brief decision is available here.
Amtrak made the request on July 31 after informing the board that it had negotiated a settlement with Union Pacific [see “Amtrak, Union Pacific reach settlement …,” Trains.com, July 31, 2025]. No information about that settlement has been announced beyond a general statement that UP has “made commitments” regarding Sunset performance and “agreed to consequences” if those commitments are not met, and that employees would receive training about dealing with Amtrak trains. Other parties in the case said they had consented to the settlement except for CPKC, which said it had no objection to a settlement but did not want to imply “assent to the undisclosed terms.”
Amtrak had brought the first-of-its kind case to the STB in December 2022; the board announced it would conduct an investigation and set the terms for that process in July 2023. At the time of the settlement, the case was still in the first of the two stages outlined by the STB.
With all three parties voting in the affirmative and without any further evidence this inquiry is closed. Now let’s get back to running trains.