Norfolk Southern settles lawsuit alleging it broke federal law, DOJ says

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern and the federal government have settled a lawsuit alleging the railroad company failed to give Amtrak trains preference over freight trains, according to the Department of Justice.

The lawsuit alleged the company did not give trains on the Amtrak Crescent route preference over freight trains. The Amtrak Crescent is a 1,377-mile passenger line between Washington, D.C., and New Orleans that passes through Atlanta. The DOJ said ridership along the route totaled 304,000 riders in 2024.

Norfolk Southern controls 1,140 miles of rail line on the route, according to the DOJ.

The DOJ said Norfolk Southern did not give preference to Amtrak trains on its rails in accordance with federal law.

As part of the settlement, Norfolk Southern agreed to give Amtrak trains the highest priority, train its employees about the new procedures and provide records of any Amtrak delays to the federal government, 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,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “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.”

Norfolk Southern will also annually certify it is in compliance.