After a series of emergency hearings, the Surface Transportation Board has ordered railways to issue recovery plans and give biweekly reports on their progress.
The order applies to four major railways and requires them to outline key performance indicators for the last 36 months. They must also detail what they are doing to lift speed restrictions.
The board chair says that railroads have a longstanding practice of cutting employment levels and mothballing locomotives. He says that it is harming the economy and leading to food inflation.
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