Opinion ID: 783417
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Lloyd Street Bridge Dispute

Text: 17 In accordance with its statutory mandate, the PUC initiated an investigation of the Lloyd Street Bridge in 1997 to determine the condition of the bridge and to assign responsibility for its maintenance. The Lloyd Street Bridge, located in Chester, Pennsylvania, provides a street crossing over railroad tracks used by Amtrak and SEPTA. At a Field Conference held on July 14, 1997, the PUC discovered that no concerned party agreed to accept responsibility for maintaining the structure. Amtrak App. at 104. 18 A PUC Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) held an evidentiary hearing and issued a Recommended Decision on March 14, 2000, assigning costs to parties with an interest in the bridge. The City of Chester (Chester), Amtrak, Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail), the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), and Delaware County each filed exceptions to the decision with the PUC. On September 1, 2000, the PUC entered an order (2000 Order) denying all exceptions and adopting the ALJ's Recommended Decision. The PUC order assigned 75% of the maintenance costs to Chester, with the remaining 25% divided between Conrail (15%), PennDOT (5%), and Delaware County (5%). The PUC did not assess any of the bridge maintenance costs to Amtrak or SEPTA, finding that they were exempt from contribution. 5 19 Chester, Conrail, and Delaware County appealed from the PUC's 2000 Order to the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court. City of Chester v. Pa. PUC, 773 A.2d 1280 (2001), alloc. denied, 567 Pa. 747, 788 A.2d 379 (2001), cert. denied, 535 U.S. 951, 122 S.Ct. 1349, 152 L.Ed.2d 251 (2002). The Commonwealth Court vacated the PUC's order, holding that Amtrak and SEPTA were not exempt from the assessment of maintenance costs. Id. at 1285-86. Accordingly, the Court remanded the issue to the PUC for a hearing and adjudication to apportion costs for the repair and maintenance of the Bridge between the present parties, [Amtrak], and [SEPTA].... Id. at 1288. 20 After a hearing, the ALJ issued a second Recommended Decision on August 7, 2001. The PUC subsequently entered an order on September 7, 2001 (2001 Order), modifying the ALJ's Recommended Decision and allocating the maintenance costs to: Chester (75%), Amtrak (5%), SEPTA (5%), Norfolk Southern Railway Corporation (5%), Delaware County (5%), and PennDOT (5%). The PUC's 2001 Order also required Amtrak and SEPTA each to cover 45% of the cost of providing watchmen, flagmen, and railroad protection during the maintenance work. 21 Amtrak filed a motion in the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania before Judge Newcomer seeking to expand the Cassatt Avenue Bridge injunction, previously issued by Judge Newcomer in Amtrak I, to prohibit assessments against Amtrak for all bridge crossings in the PUC's jurisdiction. See SEPTA, 210 F.Supp.2d at 701. SEPTA filed a motion to intervene in the action. See id. On October 16, 2001, Judge Newcomer denied both motions, holding that Amtrak failed to demonstrate that the PUC violated the injunction with respect to the Cassatt Avenue Bridge. See id. at 701-02. 22 Amtrak and SEPTA then filed separate actions in the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, which were assigned to Judge DuBois. Amtrak sought an injunction prohibiting the PUC from assigning it costs for maintenance of the Lloyd Street Bridge. 6 SEPTA filed a motion to enforce the Consent Decree it had entered into with the PUC in federal court. 7 23 On July 12, 2002, the District Court entered an order denying the motions of the PUC and Commissioner Wilson to dismiss Amtrak's complaint. Id. at 729. The order also granted SEPTA's motion to enforce the Consent Decree, enjoined the PUC from assessing costs to SEPTA, and enjoined all parties to the PUC proceedings from enforcing or seeking to enforce any judicial or administrative order that would assess costs against SEPTA with respect to the Lloyd Street Bridge. Id. 24 Finally, the District Court granted in part and denied in part Amtrak's motion for preliminary and other injunctive relief and its renewed motion for declaratory judgment and preliminary injunctive relief. Id. The Court: (1) preliminarily enjoined the PUC from assessing to Amtrak costs and responsibilities for the Lloyd Street Bridge and from relitigating in state court the extent of Amtrak's exemption, as decided by Amtrak II, as to the Lloyd Street Bridge and (2) preliminarily enjoined the parties to the PUC proceedings from enforcing or seeking to enforce any judicial or administrative order that would assess costs against Amtrak with respect to the Lloyd Street Bridge. 8 Id. at 729-30.