The Justice Department on Tuesday accused Norfolk Southern, one of the country’s largest freight railroad companies, of violating federal law by delaying Amtrak passenger trains along the route between New Orleans and New York.
In a complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the Justice Department said Norfolk Southern failed to give Amtrak passenger trains preference over freight trains, as it is required to do under federal law.
“Norfolk Southern regularly fails to do so, leading to widespread delays that harm and inconvenience train passengers, negatively affect Amtrak’s financial performance and impede passenger rail transportation,” according to the complaint.
“Americans should not experience travel delays because rail carriers break the law,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement. “Our action today alleges that Norfolk Southern violates federal law by failing to give the legally required preference to Amtrak passenger trains over freight trains.”
The complaint cites several instances where Norfolk Southern’s failure to prioritize passenger trains led to notable delays. That included an episode on Jan. 1, when an Amtrak train, just 10 miles from New Orleans, was held for nearly an hour because Norfolk Southern dispatchers required it to follow a slow-moving freight train.
In another case, an Amtrak train was forced to wait over an hour while three freight trains passed.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.