WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board will proceed with its planned hearing on the status of Amtrak Gulf Coast service on Wednesday, Feb. 14, the board announced in a decision issued Tuesday.
The parties to the agreement allowing service to begin — Amtrak, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and the Alabama State Port Authority — had asked the board to cancel the hearing in a filing last week, saying they had “no further information to offer” beyond that contained in the Feb. 1 update [see “Amtrak, railroads ask STB to cancel …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 2, 2024]. The board had asked for detailed information on the status of the settlement, and announced plans for the hearing, in January, indicating concerns over delays in implementing the agreement reached in November 2022 [see “STB seeks answers for delay …,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 19, 2024].
The board has also invited the City of Mobile to participate in the hearing if it chooses. Last week’s filing suggested that negotiations between Amtrak and the city — which is not a party to the settlement — over land needed for a siding at the Mobile station site is one of the issues delaying the start of service, which Amtrak had originally indicated would occur in 2023.
Amtrak said in a statement today that it “appreciates the Board’s continuing interest in establishment of new service between Mobile and New Orleans” and “looks forward to participating in the hearing.”
The hearing will take place at 11 a.m. ET at the hearing room at the board’s headquarters, at 395 E Street, S.W., in Washington. Information for those wishing to attend in person is included in the board’s decision. The hearing will also be carried on the STB YouTube channel, and available through a link at the STB website under “Quick Links” by clicking on “Watch Live Hearings Here.”
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