The Dependable Rail Service Act goals to make sure reliable freight rail service and cheap charges for farmers, producers, and small companies throughout the US.
On June 18 2025, U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) reintroduced the Dependable Rail Service Act, a bipartisan invoice designed to sort out the unreliable service and excessive prices of rail transport impacting farmers and producers, notably in Wisconsin and Kansas. The laws goals to strengthen the freight rail provide chain, making certain that the biggest railroads present reliable companies at cheap charges so items can attain markets extra effectively, finally reducing prices for shoppers.
The Dependable Rail Service Act goals to spice up freight reliability, decrease transport prices, and strengthen U.S. provide chains for producers
“Throughout the Badger State, our farmers, small companies, and producers depend on rail service to get their merchandise to market and make ends meet,” stated Senator Baldwin. “However when rail service is unreliable, it places their livelihoods on the road, disrupts provide chains, and drives up prices for hardworking Wisconsin households. That’s why I’m proud to work with my Republican colleague to as soon as once more introduce our Dependable Rail Service Act and assist stage the taking part in discipline for Wisconsin employees, develop our Made in Wisconsin financial system, and maintain prices down for shoppers.”
“Kansas’s farmers and ranchers rely on dependable transport of their world-class items to the remainder of the nation, and Class 1 railroads will not be assembly expectations; it is a disservice to hard-working Kansans,” stated Senator Marshall. “This invoice lays out cheap necessities for rail carriers to satisfy these necessary obligations, and I sit up for working with Senator Baldwin on getting this to the end line.”
Farmers, vitality producers, producers, and different rail shippers proceed to face poor service, vital disruptions, and hovering costs that have an effect on communities and shoppers, whereas income for the nation’s largest railroads attain document highs. The Dependable Rail Service Act takes a commonsense method to those challenges by clarifying the “widespread provider obligation” beneath present regulation. This obligation requires rail carriers to serve the broader transport public “on cheap request,” however ambiguity has led to inadequate service and exorbitant prices.
The invoice units out clear standards for the Floor Transportation Board (STB) to guage whether or not carriers are fulfilling their widespread provider duties, offering much-needed certainty to shippers within the face of trade consolidation and practices that scale back rail community capability.
“For years, dairy processors have struggled to make use of America’s rail system due to lack of reliability and lowered service schedules. The Dependable Rail Service Act is commonsense laws that can present higher readability to the railroad’s widespread provider obligations and be certain that they supply extra reliable service at wise charges,” stated Dr Michael Dykes, President and CEO of the Worldwide Dairy Meals Affiliation. “IDFA applauds Sen Baldwin and Sen Marshall for introducing this laws to enhance transparency within the rail trade and restore the steadiness between carriers and shippers so the U.S. dairy trade can transfer merchandise extra reliably by rail.”
“Senators Baldwin and Marshall have proposed sensible, and a much-needed reforms to assist repair persistent freight rail service failures which are plaguing chemical producers,” stated Chris Jahn, President and Chief Government Officer of the American Chemistry Council. “If members of Congress are critical about bringing jobs again, main international commerce, and making extra in America, not China, they need to again this invoice. We urge Democrats and Republicans to assist this necessary laws as a result of it would assist be certain that railroads ship on their obligation to supply dependable service to U.S. producers.”
“IWLA strongly helps the Dependable Rail Service Act and thanks Senator Baldwin for reintroducing this necessary invoice,” stated Jay D. Strother, Worldwide Warehouse Logistics Affiliation (IWLA) President & CEO. “Clarifying the widespread provider obligation is essential to making sure that railroads present constant, truthful, and well timed service. This laws offers the Floor Transportation Board the instruments it wants to carry carriers accountable, implement significant service requirements, and assist the 3PL warehouses that maintain America’s provide chain transferring.”
“We applaud Senators Baldwin and Marshall for reintroducing the Dependable Rail Service Act to enhance our nation’s freight rail community,” stated Greg Regan, President of the Transportation Trades Division, AFL-CIO. “Sadly, America’s freight rail firms too typically fail to supply the equal, well timed, and reasonably priced service required of them by federal regulation. Let’s maintain railroads accountable and higher serve the small companies, farmers, and different prospects who depend on freight rail to move their items.”
“Clarification of the widespread provider obligation has been wanted for many years and this bipartisan invoice offers STB with clear oversight guidelines to assist tackle our nation’s freight railroad provide chain challenges and enhance rail service for agricultural shippers,” stated Mike Seyfert, President and CEO of the Nationwide Grain and Feed Affiliation. “NGFA members recognize Senator Baldwin and Senator Marshall’s management in responding to rail service points and for cosponsoring this laws, which is able to assist regulators reply to service disruptions that trigger hardship for livestock producers, grain exporters, and grain processing amenities.”
“The Wisconsin Farm Bureau appreciates the work of Sen Baldwin to deal with the definition of widespread provider service obligation and improve the authority of the Floor Transportation Board to deal with agricultural rail wants,” stated Brad Olson, President of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. “Wisconsin farmers are depending on the motion of agricultural items by rail and we hope this elevated authority will result in higher effectivity throughout the rail trade.”
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