CSX Purchase of Pan Am Railway Gets Federal Hearing.
Massachusetts DOT told federal regulators overseeing the potential purchase of Pan Am Railways by competitor CSX that the state needs CSX to guarantee track access for east-west passenger trains through Springfield.
The state Department of Transportation wants the federal government to require that CSX reach agreements with Amtrak allowing for multiple round trips to Springfield, with up to two daily round trips even further west to Albany, N.Y., according to a brief filed last week with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, which has approval power over the Pan Am deal.
MassDOT also wants CSX to agree with Amtrak to run seasonal round-trip trains from Albany to Pittsfield, a potential service known as the Berkshire Flyer.
And MassDOT is seeking a guarantee that the north-south Knowledge Corridor tracks will be maintained. Pan Am maintains and operates freight trains on the state-owned tracks, which are also used by Valley Flyer trains connecting Springfield, Holyoke, Northampton and Greenfield, and Amtrak’s Vermonter.
Other conditions the transportation department is seeking include guarantees for signaling, maintenance and coordination around the state’s rail network.
The Surface Transportation Board will host a remote-access hearing on the planned purchase — a deal first announced in November of 2020 — starting Jan. 13. A decision is expected before the middle of April.
Pan Am owns and operates a nearly 1,200-mile rail network and has a partial interest in the more than 600-mile Pan Am Southern system. Its holdings include the east-west line running alongside the Route 2 corridor across the northern tier of Massachusetts, which lawmakers are also eyeing for passenger rail.
Amtrak filed paperwork opposing CSX’s bid to purchase Pan Am. Amtrak cited its desire to expand passenger rail service, noting the federal infrastructure law that includes $66 billion for Amtrak nationwide and $2.5 billion for public transit in Massachusetts. Amtrak also cited the Biden administration’s commitment to passenger rail.
Amtrak, in its most recent paperwork, said CSX has been unwilling to accommodate increased passenger service between Albany and Pittsfield.
https://www.ttnews.com/articles/csx-purchase-pan-am-railway-gets-federal-hearing?