Transportation
How the U.S. Supreme Court Left Amtrak Waiting
The court ruled that the passenger rail service is indeed a government entity. But the details of how it will be allowed to manage its on-time performance could take years to resolve.
Amtrak has technically won its Supreme Court case against freight railroads, but it's not yet clear if train travelers will win in the end as a result, and it may be some time before we know for sure.
A quick review on a complicated case: In 2008, Congress gave Amtrak the power to establish new, strong on-time standards for passenger trips. The rules gave Amtrak significant leverage over the freight operators who share (and often own) railroad tracks across the country—freight operators who were responsible for causing excessive delays for Amtrak trains could be penalized accordingly.