REPORT: Norfolk Southern agrees to give Amtrak trains highest priority, make delay records available to DOJ

ALABAMA (WHNT) — The U.S. Department of Justice announced that it reached a settlement with Norfolk Southern to resolve allegations that the company delayed Amtrak customer trains along a route in violation of federal law.

The settlement says that Norfolk Southern Corporation and Norfolk Southern Railway Company (together, Norfolk Southern) reached an agreement with the DOJ to resolve the allegations that it delayed Amtrak passenger trains on Amtrak’s Crescent Route in violation of federal law by failing to give Amtrak trains preference over freight trains.

As a result of the settlement, the DOJ moved to dismiss its lawsuit against the company.

As part of the settlement, the DOJ said Norfolk Southern agreed to provide all Amtrak trains the highest priority, train its employees to give priority to Amtrak trains, require supervisor approval for any dispatching decision that does not give priority to Amtrak trains in non-emergency situations and provide records regarding delays suffered by Amtrak trains traveling on the Crescent Route controlled by Norfolk Southern.

The DOJ said Norfolk Southern also pledged to assist the Justice Department in determining the root cause of any delays to Amtrak Crescent Route trains. Norfolk Southern’s Vice President of Compliance will annually certify that Norfolk Southern complies with the agreement and its obligations under the law to provide Amtrak trains preference.

The Crescent Route, operated by Amtrak (also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corporation), is a 1,377-mile passenger line that stops at 33 cities and towns connecting rural areas in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana to each other and larger cities.

According to the complaint filed on July 30, 2024, the DOJ said federal law requires all rail carriers that contract with Amtrak to provide Amtrak passenger trains preference over freight trains. The complaint alleges that Norfolk Southern regularly failed to do so, leading to widespread delays to train passengers. 

Since the Justice Department filed its complaint, it said passengers traveling on the Crescent Route have experienced widespread improvements. From 2024 to 2025, the number of delay minutes incurred by Amtrak’s Crescent trains has declined by 53%, the DOJ said.

“Americans traveling by train are entitled to trips free from delays caused by railroads failing to give Amtrak preference over freight trains,” Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said. “The settlement reached today, as well as Norfolk Southern’s improved performance on Amtrak’s Crescent Route, demonstrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to protecting everyday American train passengers.”