AMTRAK DEFENDS ARBITRATION POLICY: Amtrak offered its most substantive defense yet of its new, contentious arbitration policy for customers in a letter sent to lawmakers last week and shared with POLITICO on Wednesday. The railroad said it implemented the policy for two reasons: to give customers a more efficient process when they have claims that can’t be resolved directly with Amtrak, and to follow a congressional directive to save money. Arbitration will help cut back on legal costs, which made up more than $11 million for the budgetarily squeezed company in the last five years.
