Fight over freight delays could hit Amtrak’s wallet: Analysis - Trains

By Bill Stephens | April 17, 2025 Canadian National wants compensation for giving Amtrak passenger trains preference Ride Amtrak outside of the Northeast Corridor and there’s a good chance you’ll arrive late because freight traffic delayed your train — despite the law that gives passenger trains preference. Amtrak is challenging host railroads Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern with a pair of high-profile on-time performance cases that aim to put teeth into the 1973 preference law.But what about delays that Amtrak’s right of preference inflicts on freight trains?This question puts the shoe on the other foot for Amtrak. Canadian National, in its long-running operating agreement dispute with Amtrak, argues that it should be reimbursed for costs that arise when its freights have to wait for meets with passenger trains. And now federal regulators have asked CN to tally its 2024 Amtrak-related freight delay costs.The request, made this month, signals that the Surface Transportation Board is...