The parties involved in the contentious battle over whether passenger rail service can return to Mobile have asked for another go at settling the matter through mediation before that Surface Transportation Board resumes its hearings.
After previous mediation efforts did not result in a resolution, the STB just days ago. Prior to that vote, the STB planned two days of evidentiary hearings Nov. 17-18.
But now Amtrak, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern and the Alabama State Port Authority have asked the STB to authorize another 30 days of board-sponsored mediation. The parties want to delay the hearings in the meantime.states, “The Parties have made considerable progress in their discussions, and expect that the coming weeks, leading up to Dec. 1, will be critical in determining whether a negotiated resolution can be reached.
The proposed Amtrak passenger service would run two trains daily with stops in Bay St. Louis, Pascagoula, Gulfport and Biloxi. Amtrak and members of the Southern Rail Commission from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama support the plan to add the passenger routes, but CSX, Norfolk Southern Rail and the Alabama Port Authority are against it, claiming the daily routes would impact their freight operations.Amtrak last served Mobile and other points on the line east of New Orleans in 2005, when Hurricane Katrina damaged railroad infrastructure and disrupted both freight and passenger service.Download the FOX10 Weather App.
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