2023 Michigan Compiled Laws › Chapter 462 - Railroads › Act 300 of 1909 - Railroads (462.2 - 462.50) › Section 462.7 - Interchange of Traffic; Preferred Freight; Routing by Shippers or Initial Carrier; Steam Railroads and Interurban and Suburban Railroads; Drawing Cars and Merchandise of Connecting Lines; Local Traffic; Intrastate Traffic.

462.7 Interchange of traffic; preferred freight; routing by shippers or initial carrier; steam railroads and interurban and suburban railroads; drawing cars and merchandise of connecting lines; local traffic; intrastate traffic.
Sec. 7.
(a) All railroads subject to the provisions of this act shall afford all reasonable and proper facilities by the establishment of switch connections between one another and the establishment of depots and otherwise for the interchange of traffic between their respective lines and for the receiving, forwarding and delivering of passengers and property to and from their several lines and those connecting therewith, and shall transfer and deliver without unreasonable delay or discrimination any freight or cars or passengers destined to any point on its own line or on any connecting line, and shall not discriminate in their rates and charges between such connecting lines: Provided, Precedence may be given to live stock and perishable property. Nothing in this act shall be construed as requiring any railroad to give the use of its tracks or terminal facilities to another railroad engaged in like business, except that carload traffic shall be received and transported from any junction point or transfer point or intersection with another railroad in any city or town, destined to team tracks or other sidings in the same city or town as hereinafter provided. Any person or any officer or agent of any corporation or company who shall deliver property for transportation to any common carrier subject to the provisions of this act shall have the right and privilege of routing such shipments and of prescribing and directing over what connecting line property so shipped shall be transported, and it shall be the duty of the initial carrier to observe the direction of such person or such officer or agent of any corporation or company, and to cause such freight to be transported over such connecting line as may be directed and required by such shipper. When freight is shipped in intrastate commerce and any person or officer or agent of any corporation or company who shall deliver property for transportation does not prescribe over what connecting line such property shall be transported, it shall be the duty of the initial carrier to so route the freight as to give the property the benefit of the lowest rate published between points of origin and destination;
(b) Where it is practicable and the same may be accomplished without endangering the equipment, tracks or appliances of either party, the commission may, upon application, require steam railroads and interurban and suburban railroads to interchange cars, carload shipments, less than carload shipments and passenger traffic, and for that purpose may require the construction of physical connections upon such terms as it may determine and such suburban and interurban railroads may be used for handling of freight in carload lots in steam railroad freight cars between shippers or consignees and the steam railroads, in the same manner and under the same general conditions, except as to motive power, as belt line railroads and terminal railroads are now or may hereafter be used for like purposes;
(c) Every corporation owning a railroad in use shall, at reasonable times and for a reasonable compensation, draw over the same the merchandise and cars of any other corporation or individual having connecting tracks: Provided, Such cars are of the proper gauge, are in good running order and equipped as required by law and otherwise safe for transportation and properly loaded: Provided further, If the corporations cannot agree upon the times at which the cars shall be drawn or the compensation to be paid, the said commission shall, upon petition of either party and notice to the other, after hearing the parties interested, determine the rate of compensation and fix such other periods, having reference to the convenience and interests of the corporation or corporations and the public to be accommodated thereby and the award of the commission shall be binding upon the respective corporations interested therein until the same shall have been revised;
(d) Every common carrier operating within this state shall receive and transport at reasonable rates any and all carload traffic offered for transportation under the usual conditions locally consigned between points in the same city or town and shall receive and transport at reasonable rates from any junction point or transfer point or intersection with another railroad in such city or town any and all such carload freight destined to team tracks or other sidings on any line operated by the delivering carrier, and shall deliver such car or cars upon such team tracks or sidings in the city or town where such car or cars are received from such connecting line when required so to do: Provided, That when delivery is requested which will involve the use of a private siding not owned or controlled by consignee, said consignee shall file with both receiving and delivering carriers written permission signed by the owner or lessee of such private siding authorizing the use of same. When the particular delivery desired cannot be accomplished owing to the congestion of cars upon such siding or team tracks, it shall be the duty of the delivering carrier to notify consignee of such conditions and it shall be the duty of consignee upon receipt of such notice to advise upon what other siding delivery will be accepted or whether or not it is desired that such car or cars shall be held waiting the opportunity for delivery upon the siding originally designated as the destination;
(e) That any common carrier, railroad or transportation company receiving property for transportation from a point in the state of Michigan to another point within the state of Michigan, shall issue a receipt or bill of lading therefor, and shall be liable to the lawful holder thereof for any loss, damage or injury to such property caused by it or by any common carrier, railroad or transportation company to which said property may be delivered or over whose line or lines such property may pass, and no contract, receipt, rule or regulation, shall exempt such common carrier, railroad or transportation company from the liability hereby imposed: Provided, That nothing in this section shall deprive any holder of such receipt or bill of lading of any remedy or right of action which he has under existing law: Provided further, That the property so received for transportation shall move entirely within the boundaries of the state of Michigan between the points of shipment and its destination: And provided further, That the common carrier, railroad or transportation company issuing such receipt or bill of lading shall be entitled to recover from the common carrier, railroad or transportation company, on whose line or lines the loss, damage or injury shall have been sustained, the amount of such loss, damage or injury as it may be required to pay to the owners of such property as may be evidenced by any receipt, judgment or transcript thereof.
History:
1909, Act 300, Eff. Sept. 1, 1909 ;-- Am. 1911, Act 139, Imd. Eff. Apr. 25, 1911 ;-- Am. 1913, Act 370, Eff. Aug. 14, 1913 ;-- Am. 1913, Act 389, Eff. Aug. 14, 1913 ;-- Am. 1915, Act 278, Eff. Aug. 24, 1915 ;-- CL 1915, 8115 ;-- Am. 1917, Act 387, Eff. Aug. 10, 1917 ;-- CL 1929, 11023 ;-- CL 1948, 462.7