WASHINGTON – Tony the Tiger along with Snap, Crackle, and Pop are asking for a seat at the table so that they can have a say in the dispute over Amtrak’s plans to halt freight service to local customers in Pennsylvania for six weeks during a trackwork project.
Kellogg Co. says that losing freight service from trackage rights tenant Norfolk Southern will “substantially harm” its plant in Lancaster, Pa., which makes Frosted Flakes and Rice Krispies, among other products. The cereal and snack maker on Thursday told the Surface Transportation Board that it would like to join the complaint filed by two other freight customers on Amtrak’s Harrisburg line.
Like two feed mills that filed the complaint, Kellogg receives inbound loads from Norfolk Southern, which serves the plant two to three times per week.
Wenger and Esbenshade, which produce animal feed for distribution throughout the Northeast, would lose service to their feed mills in Mount Joy, Pa., for the duration of the project, the companies told the STB in a complaint. The customers sought an injunction to halt the trackwork as well as a directed service order that would keep freight cars moving.
In a May 1 filing, Amtrak said the freight customers had not met the legal standard for an injunction and directed service order. In addition, Amtrak argues that the STB lacks jurisdiction over its routes and services.
The passenger railroad also told the board that there was no reasonable alternative to shutting down one track while the $167 million maintenance project is under way. NS won’t be able to reach the customer spurs while the track is out of service.
Amtrak, NS, and the feed mill operators are trying to reach a settlement, they told the STB on Wednesday. Lawyers for Amtrak and NS talked this week about their “mutual desire to reach an expeditious resolution of this matter.”
Amtrak is preparing to complete essential track and roadbed renewal work between Lancaster and Harrisburg – Cork (MP 68.6) to Rheems (MP 83.4) interlockings and Roy (MP 94.2) to State (MP 103.6) interlockings – on the Philadelphia-Harrisburg Line. Amtrak will adjust its schedules and use Track 2 while Track 1 is out of service.
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