The Justice Department says a settlement has been reached by Norfolk Southern and Amtrak to resolve allegations that Norfolk Southern delays Amtrak’s Crescent Route, which serves Gainesville twice daily, in violation of federal law by failing to give the Crescent preference over freight trains. As a result of the settlement, the Justice Department has moved to dismiss its lawsuit against Norfolk Southern.
As part of the settlement, 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 freight carrier has also pledged to assist the Justice Department in determining the root cause of any delays to the Crescent. Norfolk Southern’s Vice President of Compliance will annually certify that the carrier is in compliance with the agreement and its obligations under the law to provide Amtrak trains preference.
“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.”
The Crescent Route, operated by Amtrak is a 1,377-mile passenger line that stops at 33 cities and towns connecting rural areas in Virgina, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana to each other and larger cities. Norfolk Southern controls 1,140 miles of rail line on the Crescent Route and handles dispatching for all trains along that segment. Approximately 304,000 passengers traveled on the Crescent Route during 2024 and year-over-year ridership has increased so far in 2025.
According to the complaint filed on July 30, 2024, 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, 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%.