According to the Kalamazoo Gazette and our friends at the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, the Surface Transportation Board recently blocked a sale of nearly 300 miles of Michigan railroad track by Norfolk Southern to a new joint venture with Kansas short-line operator Watco Inc.
Many observers were concerned about its possible impact on Amtrak passenger rail service between Detroit and Chicago, which uses Norfolk Southern lines between Ypsilanti and Kalamazoo. The sale was blocked because of structure of the new joint venture.