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Reliable Rail bill continues to gain support

Legislation designed to improve railroad service remains held up in committee as lawmakers focus on funding the government.

Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin tells Brownfield reliable railroad service has been absent, as businesses continue to struggle with shipping and receiving goods, especially in areas off the main Class I rail lines. “We need to hold these big freight rail companies to account, and especially at at time when the Surface Transportation Board, the regulatory agency for the rails, are considering yet another incredibly large merger.”

Baldwin is concerned about the proposed Union Pacific and the Norfolk Southern merger, saying past mergers have not solved rail service access problems. “I have no confidence that that’s going to lead to more reliable service, but if we pass our bill to clearly define what the common carrier obligation is, I think we’d have a lot more teeth for enforcement.”

Baldwin says the bill has bipartisan support and several business sectors also back it. “We have widespread support from labor unions to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau, manufacturers, energy producers, all who rely on rail.”

Senate Bill 2104, the Reliable Rail Service Act of 2025, was introduced by Baldwin in June.  She says it has been picking up bipartisan support since being referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

AUDIO: Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin’s update on some of legislation still under consideration in Washington, D.C.