Fun Fact: Amtrak legally has priority over freight trains, the issue is there is no governing body to enforce this and because freight trains have gotten so long, they can't fit on the sidings made for Amtrak trains to pass them, leading to many delays on train travel
this is not a fun fact
Fun Fact: Amtrak can not legally charge freight companies a tax for delays as it is technically a private company despite being government owned
And, if you want to do something useful about these sorts of issues, there is a good advocacy group that works to better train service and for things like enforcing the rules on the freight companies:
Stand Up for A Connected America! | Rail Passengers Association | Washington, DC The Rail Passengers Association is the largest national organization that serves as a voice for the more than 40 million rail passengers in railpassengers.orgSeriously, joining advocacy groups is so important, it’s how we fight for a better future