Compensation for Amtrak.

[bsmith]

Just reading about the City of New Orleans derailment in Trains. Damage to equipment is about 7 million. It is clear, but not offical, that poor rail maintainance by CN to blame. Why doesn't congress allow Amtrak to make the railroad compensate Amtrak for the cost of rapairs. It is seldom that Amtrak is at fault on this type of derailment. When a railroad is clearly at fault, Amtrak should be able to make the road liable. <_<

 

[Obvious]

Amtrak should be given a bigger piece of the transportation budget. Maybe like a percent of that money that is currently going to airlines.

 

[Save Our Trains Michigan]

Just reading about the City of New Orleans derailment in Trains. Damage to equipment is about 7 million. It is clear, but not offical, that poor rail maintainance by CN to blame. Why doesn't congress allow Amtrak to make the railroad compensate Amtrak for the cost of rapairs. It is seldom that Amtrak is at fault on this type of derailment. When a railroad is clearly at fault, Amtrak should be able to make the road liable. <_<

CN is nasty to Amtrak. :angry:

 

[PRR 60]

Just reading about the City of New Orleans derailment in Trains.  Damage to equipment is about 7 million.  It is clear, but not offical, that poor rail maintainance by CN to blame.  Why doesn't congress allow Amtrak to make the railroad compensate Amtrak for the cost of rapairs.  It is seldom that Amtrak is at fault on this type of derailment.  When a railroad is clearly at fault, Amtrak should be able to make the road liable. <_<

The contracts between the freight railroads and Amtrak specifically hold the railroads harmless for liability to Amtrak in all cases except for “gross negligence” which essentially means intentional acts to derail a train. The result is that, regardless of fault, Amtrak is responsible for all of its costs (equipment damage, passenger injuries and liability) and the railroad covers its costs (repair of the infrastructure and traffic disruptions).

Without that clause, Amtrak's costs to operate over the freight railroads would go through the roof. Even though it occasionally costs Amtrak when an accident occurs, they come out way ahead overall by assuming the liability for accidents.